FOXBORO, Mass. — The New England Patriots added a ninth player on the wrong side of 30 this week.
Veteran running back Steven Jackson, 32, joins quarterback Tom Brady, kicker Stephen Gostkowski, defensive linemen Rob Ninkovich and Alan Branch, offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer, wide recevier Danny Amendola, tight end Scott Chandler and special teams ace Matthew Slater in the Patriots’ over-30 club.
Jackson, drafted in the first round of the 2004 NFL Draft, becomes the second-oldest player on the Patriots’ roster behind Brady, who has a lot of respect for his new offensive weapon.
“We’ve played against him a few times when he was playing with the (St. Louis) Rams and then when he played with the (Atlanta) Falcons,” Brady said Thursday. “I don’t think he was active for that game, but I’ve always watched from afar and seen how tremendous of a player he is, what kind of professional he is, so it’s great to have players like that.
“Hopefully he can add a lot to our team. We’ll see, obviously, how things pan out, but he’s come in here and worked hard. It’s been fun to see. Like I said, I always watched from afar and had admiration for it because to rush for that many yards in this league is a really hard thing to do. He’s had a remarkable career.”
What Jackson can bring to the Patriots still is up in the air. He’s coming off his two least productive NFL seasons, when he averaged just 3.6 yards per carry. Jackson could play better for the Patriots than he did with the Falcons, however, because he’s only expected to play up to five games, not 16-plus.
Brady has been impressed so far.
“Well, just what you’d expect, I think he’s a real professional, takes good care of himself,” Brady said. “So, hopefully he can add a lot to our team.”
Jackson could suit up Sunday against the New York Jets and take over “big back” duties from Brandon Bolden and Joey Iosefa. He practiced Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday with the Patriots and will have Christmas Day off with the rest of his new teammates.
Thumbnail photo via Dale Zanine/USA TODAY Sports Images
