Sparta’s Darius Jackson seeks another chance with NFL’s Browns

Former Sparta High School standout Darius Jackson will be in Cleveland with the Browns on Monday as he works to become a contributor in the NFL.

Acquired late last season after being waived by the Cowboys, the 2016 sixth-round pick watched from the sidelines all last season. While his Dallas teammates, led by fellow rookies Dak Prescott and Ezekial Elliott, captured the NFC East championship, Jackson never got in on any of the fun.

“It was a great learning experience last year, being in Dallas,” Jackson said. “But now, I’m with a new team and a new environment, so I’m focused on what I have to do in Cleveland.”

The Browns can use all the help they can get after a dismal 1-15 season a year ago. Replenished with a bevy of off-season moves, Cleveland is still one of the youngest teams in the league, and Jackson will look to develop along with the organization.

“After a season in this league, I have a feeling not just that I belong, but that I can dominate in certain situations,” he said. “Playing in the preseason, I at least got the feeling that I knew I could play at this level.”

“Going into camp (last year) it felt great, but it was nothing like coming into the second drive of the game in the preseason against the Rams. Once I was there and got hit the first time, I knew I was settled in.”

Jackson finished that game with 12 carries for 47 yards, and got some positive reviews from the ESPN commentators.

Now lining up in the Cleveland backfield, the former Eastern Michigan star sees nothing but positives about playing for a franchise that has nowhere to go but up.

“I’m going in there with the same mentality I always have: Be focused and prepare every day to play,” he said. “No matter what the situation is, my mindset has always been that I’ve got a job to do.”

In an off-season that included returning to Eastern Michigan to finish his degree in marketing, Jackson said he has changed the way he trained based on the action he saw last season.

“I wanted to add just a couple more pounds of muscle for those late-season December and January games,” he said. “I’ve also done a lot of drills to work on my cutting and having better footwork. Anything that will add to my speed and athletic skills.”

Jackson said that Cleveland head coach Hue Jackson met with him at the end of last season and talked about his future with the franchise.

“Coach Jackson spent time with me and he was honest with me about my spot with the team,” Jackson said. “That’s all you ask for from any coach and I’m just ready to go out there and prove to coach, my teammates and our fans that I can make an impact and be a leader on this team.”

The 6-foot, 220-pound speedster was clocked at 4.35 seconds in the 40-yard dash when he worked out prior to last summer’s draft. He’ll get to showcase that speed behind an offensive line into which the Cleveland front office has invested over $100 million.

“I’m so excited,” Jackson says. “It all starts with the O-line, so adding the kind of talent they did was huge. We’re all going to get a lot better opportunities from having those guys up front.”

After going from a small town Sparta to Big D, Jackson finally appears settled with his new role in Cleveland. Now in year two of his professional career, he’s ready to take the next step to NFL stardom.

“I’ve taken different things from different guys, learned from them and kind of gotten a routine from there. There’s no doubt that going into this season, I’m ready to make an impact. This is the time.”

This story was originally published April 14, 2017 at 1:08 PM with the headline "Sparta’s Darius Jackson seeks another chance with NFL’s Browns."