Drake Jackson waived by Detroit Lions; Jon Toth signed by Washington Football Team

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It’s been a busy morning for former Kentucky centers. The Detroit Lions waived Drake Jackson, and the Washington Football Team signed Jon Toth.

Jackson signed an undrafted free agent deal with Detroit in May. He turned in a good performance at training camp, even prompting the Detroit Free Press to write he had a good shot at making the roster; however, the Lions inked their starting center, Frank Ragnow, to a big deal this summer and reserve center/guard Evan Brown was activated from the Non-Football Injury list last week. Coincidentally, the Lions also activated linebacker Jalen Reeves-Maybin from the reserve/COVID-19 list this morning. Reeves-Maybin, a former Tennessee Volunteer, is Alex Poythress’ brother-in-law. 

At Kentucky, Jackson played in 47 career games with 44 consecutive starts at center, helping the Wildcats win 37 total games, the most in a five-season span since 1949-53. In 2020, he graded at 85 percent in 10 regular season games played, missing just one assignment in 627 snaps. Jackson also had 38 knockdown blocks and led the team with 167 blocks at the point of attack.

Toth, who played at Kentucky from 2012-16, went undrafted in 2017 but spent time on the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad his first two seasons. He also played for the Jets, Browns, and Lions, and in the XFL. At Kentucky, Toth played in 48 career games with 47 consecutive starts, helping the Cats rush for 1,855 yards in 2016.

Here’s hoping Drake finds a spot on another roster soon.