INDIANAPOLIS – Nate Irving had already evaluated his night in Buffalo.
But after taking notes on his 19 snaps of preseason action, Irving could not help himself in what kept on appearing.
A blue No. 53 jersey was popping up, time and time again, to the tune of a team-high eight tackles in Saturday's preseason opener.
Yep, there's Edwin Jackson again.
"He was flying around on the field," Irving said of Jackson's play versus Buffalo.
"You look at the tape, you see a blue jersey just zoom by and you look at the number, 'Oh wow, it's 53.' That's pretty good. I think he helped himself out a whole lot with making the team and making a name for himself."
Jackson's flying around on Saturday night led him to the eight stops, plus another two on special teams, which certainly only enhances his chances to make the final roster.
Saturday showed why the Colts currently have Jackson listed in the two deep of the inside linebacker position.
"It was a huge deal," Jackson said of finishing Saturday with a team-best eight tackles.
"Just coming out in the first preseason game, shake off the jitters of not playing a game in over a year, being in front of the fans, being in that environment and in the mold of playing at a high level."
The last time Jackson was in a game setting was August 2015.
After going undrafted out of Georgia Southern in 2015, Jackson spent the offseason with the Cardinals. His time in Arizona ended following the final cut down.
The Colts called in December looking to add Jackson to their practice squad.
A futures contract came after the 2015 season ended and now Jackson is getting quite the chance to make an NFL roster in Indianapolis.
"When (Jackson) showed up, he hasn't changed," Chuck Pagano says of the linebacker who stands six-feet tall and around 230 pounds. "He was just one of those guys that just popped. He wasn't a flash guy. It's day after day after day. He caught everybody's eye the first time he stepped on campus and got on the practice field.
"He's one of those guys that he has put the work in and put the time in and knows what to do. He's got a ton of energy, he's tough and he did an outstanding job on (special) teams. He's definitely making a case for himself to make this football team."
At 24 years old, Jackson is the type of guy the Colts would love to add to an older linebacker group.
The vet of the group, and Edwin's namesake, likes what he sees.
"He plays relentless," D'Qwell Jackson says of the younger Jackson. "He plays with a motor and he's exceptionally fast.
"It's just a matter of getting more reps, more experience. He's going to be a good player for us."
