Jacob Saylors (born March 8, 2000) is an American professional football running back. He played college football at East Tennessee State. He was named to the All-UFL team in 2024.
| No. 48 – Detroit Lions | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Running back |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | March 8, 2000 Jasper, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Height: | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) |
| Weight: | 199 lb (90 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Marion County |
| College: | East Tennessee State (2018–2022) |
| NFL draft: | 2023: undrafted |
| Career history | |
| |
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
College career
editSaylors played college football at East Tennessee State, where he rushed for 3,861 yards, and 33 touchdowns.[1]
Statistics
edit| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yards | Avg | TD | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | ||
| 2018 | East Tennessee State | 11 | 1 | 86 | 615 | 7.6 | 4 | 23 | 219 | 9.5 | 0 |
| 2019 | East Tennessee State | 11 | 5 | 112 | 653 | 5.8 | 4 | 16 | 150 | 9.4 | 0 |
| 2020 | East Tennessee State | 5 | 0 | 42 | 257 | 6.1 | 0 | 12 | 108 | 9.0 | 1 |
| 2021 | East Tennessee State | 13 | 5 | 143 | 1,019 | 7.1 | 10 | 19 | 143 | 7.5 | 1 |
| 2022 | East Tennessee State | 11 | 11 | 225 | 1,317 | 5.9 | 15 | 21 | 159 | 7.6 | 1 |
| Career | 51 | 22 | 608 | 3,861 | 6.4 | 33 | 91 | 779 | 8.6 | 3 | |
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 10+1⁄8 in (1.78 m) |
199 lb (90 kg) |
29 in (0.74 m) |
9 in (0.23 m) |
4.66 s | 1.60 s | 2.67 s | 4.50 s | 7.65 s | 32.0 in (0.81 m) |
9 ft 4 in (2.84 m) |
13 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[2] | ||||||||||||
Cincinnati Bengals
editAfter going undrafted in the 2023 NFL draft, Saylors signed with the Cincinnati Bengals on April 30, 2023.[3] He was released on August 29, 2023.[4]
Atlanta Falcons
editOn October 18, 2023, Saylors was signed to the Atlanta Falcons practice squad.[5] He was released on January 2, 2024 with an injury settlement.[6]
St. Louis Battlehawks (first stint)
editOn February 5, 2024, Saylors signed with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the United Football League (UFL).[7] He led the league in rushing yards, and was named to the All-UFL team.[8]
New York Giants
editOn June 18, 2024. Saylors signed with the New York Giants.[9] He was released on August 12.[6]
Cleveland Browns
editOn August 22, 2024, Saylors signed with the Cleveland Browns, but was released later that week.[10]
St. Louis Battlehawks (second stint)
editOn November 5, 2024, Saylors re-signed with the Battlehawks.[11]
Detroit Lions
editOn July 29, 2025, Saylors signed with the Detroit Lions.[12] He was waived on August 26 as part of final roster cuts, and resigned to the practice squad the next day.[13]
UFL career statistics
editRegular season
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2024 | STL | 9 | 6 | 94 | 461 | 4.9 | 57 | 5 | 23 | 152 | 6.6 | 19 | 3 |
| 2025 | STL | 9 | 9 | 113 | 499 | 4.4 | 25 | 5 | 22 | 245 | 11.1 | 34 | 0 |
| Career | 18 | 15 | 207 | 960 | 4.6 | 57 | 10 | 45 | 397 | 8.8 | 34 | 3 | |
Postseason
| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 2024 | STL | 1 | 1 | 14 | 79 | 5.6 | 23 | 0 | 1 | 12 | 12.0 | 12 | 0 |
| 2025 | STL | 1 | 1 | 9 | 45 | 5.0 | 11 | 1 | 3 | 27 | 9.0 | 17 | 0 |
| Career | 2 | 2 | 23 | 124 | 5.4 | 23 | 1 | 4 | 39 | 9.8 | 17 | 0 | |
References
edit- ^ "Jacob Saylors - 2022-23 - Football". East Tennessee State University. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ "Jacob Saylors College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved August 3, 2025.
- ^ Roling, Chris. "Bengals give UDFA RB Jacob Saylors notable signing bonus". Bengals Wire. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ Marcum, Jason (2023-08-29). "Bengals 53-man roster set, plus a recap of all the cuts made". Cincy Jungle. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ Urben, Matt. "Falcons sign two players to 16-man practice squad". Falcons Wire. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ a b Benton, Dan. "Giants waive RB Jacob Saylors". Giants Wire. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ Larsen, James (2024-02-06). "St. Louis Battlehawks Sign Free Agent RB Jacob Saylors". Pro Football Newsroom. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ "UFL Announces Inaugural All-UFL Team". www.theufl.com. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ "Giants sign former UFL running back Jacob Saylors; WR Chase Cota to IR". www.giants.com. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ Comeaux, Jonathan (2024-08-22). "Browns Sign RB Jacob Saylors, Cut TE Giovanni Ricci". NFLTradeRumors.co. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ Larsen, James (2024-11-05). "St. Louis Battlehawks Re-Sign All-UFL RB Jacob Saylors". Pro Football Newsroom. Retrieved 2025-06-01.
- ^ Alper, Josh (July 29, 2025). "Lions sign RB Jacob Saylors". NBC Sports. Retrieved July 29, 2025.
- ^ "Lions announce roster moves". detroitlions.com. Retrieved 27 August 2025.