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Report: WR DeSean Jackson to play vs. Philadelphia Eagles

By The Sports Xchange
New Orleans Saints cornerback Ken Crawley (20) knocks the ball away from Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver DeSean Jackson (11) on November 5 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. Photo by AJ Sisco/UPI
New Orleans Saints cornerback Ken Crawley (20) knocks the ball away from Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver DeSean Jackson (11) on November 5 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans. Photo by AJ Sisco/UPI | License Photo

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver DeSean Jackson is expected to play Sunday against the Philadelphia Eagles, according to a report by ESPN on Saturday.

The report said Jackson is expected to clear the league's concussion protocol in time to suit against Philadelphia. Before getting cleared, Jackson must be cleared by an independent neurological consultant.

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In Tampa Bay's wild 48-40 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week One, he caught five passes for 146 yards and two touchdowns. He also left the game with a concussion and sustained a shoulder injury.

Jackson was concussed late in the fourth quarter when he hauled in a 35-yard pass and fell hard into the turf face-first while absorbing a hard hit from cornerback Ken Crawley.

This week Jackson missed Wednesday's padded practice. He took part in practices Thursday and Friday while still in the protocol.

If a player is progressing far enough in the protocol, he can practice only if there is not any contact. It is one of the final stages of clearing the five-step protocol.

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Before the concussion, Jackson was enjoying his productive game since joining the Buccaneers before last season.

In his first season with Tampa Bay, he recorded 50 catches for 668 yards and three touchdowns. He spent his first six seasons with the Eagles and totaled 32 touchdowns from 2008 to 2013.

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