The Facts:
On the heels of signing Jackson to a three-year, $12 million contract in March, HC Mike Smith on Wednesday talked about the 29-year-old as a potential pass-catching threat out of the backfield. "He's a big, strong running back that catches the ball extremely well," Smith said. "He creates issues for defenses. He's just another weapon that we have in our offensive arsenal. He's a guy who had close to 100 catches in a season, so he's a guy that we can use in the passing game. He's not just a running back, he's a receiving back as well."
Reported by NFL.com
Fantasy Football Diehards Line:
The Falcons never had that option with Michael Turner, who caught a measly 59 passes during his five seasons in Atlanta. Jackson has averaged 45 catches per year dating back to 2004 (with a 90-catch season in 2006). According to NFL.com's Marc Sessler, the caution here is Jacquizz Rodgers, who figures to see plenty of action on passing downs. Still, OC Dirk Koetter has talked repeatedly about using more screen passes to chip away at defenses, and that bodes well for Jackson, who can handle all the Falcons ask of him -- running and receiving.
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