Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Tim Tebow may not be the only NFL player making a surprise comeback in 2021. Former New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs announced Thursday he wanted to get back into the league … but not as a running back.
Jacobs, 38, said he wants to play defensive end for “whatever team gives me a chance.”
At first, it appeared Jacobs might be joking, but that’s not the case. Jacobs is not only “serious” about returning, he thinks he’s better suited than Tebow to make a comeback.
Jacobs, a fourth-round draft pick in the 2005 NFL draft, spent eight of his nine NFL seasons with the Giants. Jacobs’ finest season came in 2008, when he rushed for 1,089 yards and 15 touchdowns. He won two Super Bowls with the franchise, but hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2013 season.
Can Brandon Jacobs play defensive end in the NFL?
Going from running back to defensive end is a drastic move, but at least Jacobs has the size required to make that transition. Jacobs was notoriously large for a running back. He was listed at 6-foot-4 and 264 pounds back in his playing days. By comparison, Aaron Donald is 6-foot-1, and weighs just 16 pounds more.
It requires more than size to be a defensive end, so Jacobs faces a long road if he wants to play in the NFL again. The fact that Jacobs will be 39 in July isn’t encouraging either.
But, hey, stranger things have happened. Tebow’s comeback came as a shock. Perhaps Jacobs can follow a similar path back. The first step might be finding one of Jacobs’ former college head coaches to run an NFL team.
Tommy Tuberville probably won’t be available.
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