It's the kind of moment that makes an entire stadium go quiet. During Saturday's preseason game against the Patriots, Jackson took a knee to the head from New England's Lan Larison while diving to make a tackle on the opening kickoff. He went down and didn't get up right away, and the sight of an ambulance driving onto the field is never a good sign in the moment.
The early reports were scary but not catastrophic. Jackson reportedly had strength and movement in all extremities, and a CT scan came back negative. His agent, Damien Butler, said he was awake and alert at the hospital shortly after the hit. Still, nobody breathes easy until a player is actually out of the building.
Eagles running back Ja'Quinden Jackson was released from the hospital and joined his teammates for their return trip Saturday night to Philadelphia. Story via @Tim_McManus: https://t.co/CjeJJeqYAd
That's exactly what happened Saturday night. Adam Schefter reported, via Tim McManus, that Jackson was released from the hospital and rejoined his teammates for the flight back to Philadelphia — about as good an outcome as you could hope for after watching someone get carted off on a stretcher.
Jackson isn't a household name yet — the 24-year-old out of Arkansas only signed with the Eagles on August 10 after time on Jacksonville's practice squad. He was fighting for a roster spot in a crowded backfield, the kind of preseason battle that usually flies under the radar until something like this happens and reminds everyone what's actually at stake for these guys physically.
No word yet on what the injury actually is beyond the negative CT scan, and there's no timeline on his return. For now, the story is simply that he's safe, he's talking, and he's back with his team — which is about as much as anyone wanted to hear coming out of Saturday night.