Jordan Jackson still goes to bed early and gets up at 6 a.m. each day, just like he did when he was at the Air Force Academy.
But plenty has changed since then.
In fact, plenty has changed in the past year alone for Jackson.
The defensive lineman spent 2022 on the New Orleans Saints’ practice squad after being a sixth-round pick that year in the NFL draft. He then spent 2023 on the Broncos’ practice squad.
But Jackson took a big leap this year. He not only made Denver’s 53-man roster but has become a rotation player on the line.
“His story is a great one relative to making this team,’’ said Broncos coach Sean Payton. “He did it during training camp. When we talk about, ‘We’re keeping the best players regardless how they’ve gotten here,’ he’s a good example of that.”
According to ProFootballReference.com, Jordan is one of just 13 players to have attended college only at Air Force and gotten into a least one NFL regular-season game and one of just nine Air Force players to have been drafted. He is the third former Falcons player to see action for the Broncos, following linebacker Steve Russ, who got into 24 games from 2017-20 and is now an Air Force assistant, and defensive lineman Ben Garland, who played eight games in 2014.