Jacob Saylors (born March 8, 2000) is an American professional football kick returner and running back for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the East Tennessee State Buccaneers and was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent following the 2023 NFL Draft. With the St. Louis Battlehawks, Saylors was named to the All-UFL team in 2024 and 2025.
College career Saylors played college football at East Tennessee State, where he rushed for 3,861 yards, and 33 touchdowns.
Statistics 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
Cincinnati Bengals After going undrafted in the 2023 NFL draft, Saylors signed with the Cincinnati Bengals on April 30, 2023. He was waived by the Bengals on August 29.
Atlanta Falcons On October 18, 2023, Saylors was signed to the Atlanta Falcons' practice squad. He was waived on January 2, 2024, with an injury settlement.
St. Louis Battlehawks (first stint) On February 5, 2024, Saylors signed with the St. Louis Battlehawks of the United Football League (UFL). He led the league in rushing yards, and was named to the All-UFL team.
New York Giants On June 18, 2024. Saylors signed with the New York Giants. He was waived by the Giants on August 12.
Cleveland Browns On August 22, 2024, Saylors signed with the Cleveland Browns, but was waived later that week.
St. Louis Battlehawks (second stint) On November 5, 2024, Saylors re-signed with the Battlehawks.
Detroit Lions On July 29, 2025, Saylors signed with the Detroit Lions. He was waived on August 26 as part of final roster cuts, and re-signed to the practice squad. He was promoted to the active roster on September 6. In his first NFL regular season game, Saylors primarily played as a return specialist, returning four kickoffs for a total of 92 yards.
On January 5, 2026, the Lions signed Saylors to a one-year contract extension.
Career statistics UFL career statistics Regular season Year Team Games Rushing Receiving 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 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
NFL career statistics Regular season Year Tea Games Rushing Receiving Kick returns Fumbles GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Ret Yds Avg Lng TD Fum Lost 2025 DET 16 0 2 11 5.5 9 0 — — — — — 33 897 27.2 39 0 0 0 Career 16 0 2 11 5.5 9 0 — — — — — 33 897 27.2 39 0 0 0
References
External links Detroit Lions bio East Tennessee State Buccaneers bio