The team could use the extra space, especially if it designates quarterback Kirk Cousins its franchise-tagged player. So, should the Redskins keep Jackson for the 2016 season?

We can pick up this discussion where we left off on Dec. 1, Jackson’s 29th birthday, when he was coming off back-to-back games in which he scored touchdowns, including in the Redskins’ win over New York Giants in Week 12. He finished the season to prove that a healthy Jackson is an effective Jackson. The eighth-year veteran grabbed 18 catches for 316 yards, averaging 17.6 yards per catch and two touchdowns in four games in December; He did not play in the team’s final game of the season in January.

AD

AD

The difference Jackson made on the field as a dynamic down field threat, especially in one-on-one situations, was clear during the final stretch of the season.The Redskins’ offense benefited, as it became whole. If defenses doubled Jackson, it allowed for better matchups for tight end Jordan Reed and wide receivers Jamison Crowder and Pierre Garcon.

Jackson didn’t play mistake-free football however. He fumbled a punt against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 13 late in the fourth quarter (though the wide receiver caught the game-tying touchdown on the next possession) and Jackson failed to cross the end zone while going out of bounds in the first-round playoff game against the Green Bay Packers. (He was marked just shy of the goal line, and the Redskins settled for a field goal on the possession.)

Jackson missed six games in 2015 because of a hamstring injury he suffered during the season opener against the Miami Dolphins. The seven total games missed are the most he’s missed in a season. He posted season lows in receptions (30) and receiving yards (528) as a result, though his yards per catch average (17.6) was the fourth highest of his career. There are durability concerns, as well, but Jackson is a playmaker and someone worth having around again in 2016. There aren’t too many guys who can take the top off a defense in the same manner that Jackson can, and he’s capable of changing the game with one play. The Redskins currently don’t have another threat like that offensively, and it showed during his absence.

The Redskins could work out a deal to either restructure or even extend Jackson down the road for a manageable cap hit next season, but they would be better off keeping No. 11 in the DMV for at least another season. He’ll turn 30 in December, but Jackson still has something left in the tank.

AD

AD

More from The Post: