Eddie Jackson developed into an All-Pro safety in his second season with the Chicago Bears but has struggled since. Can he bounce back in 2022?
One player in Chicago’s secondary to keep an eye on in 2022 is safety Eddie Jackson. The former All-Pro has struggled but could be a bounce back candidate for the Chicago Bears this season.
Chicago is set to pair Jackson with rookie Jaquan Brisker, a second-round pick out of Penn State, in hopes that they can compliment each other a little better. Brisker is more of a box safety that will allow Jackson to play that free safety role he’s more comfortable with.
And two media outlets believe that Jackson could have a big year alongside Brisker.
Jackson was named ESPN and PFF’s “bounce back” candidate for the Bears ahead of the 2022 season:
“Eddie Jackson has been a sore subject for Bears fans ever since he signed his four-year, $58.4 million contract extension at the end of the 2019 season. He hasn’t been a liability by any means, but his ball production and effort as a tackler have dried up considerably. Jackson finished 2021 with no picks and only one pass breakup. — PFF”
“With second-round pick Jaquan Brisker now on board, Jackson won’t have to play up in the box, and he can be the free safety in Chicago’s secondary. That’s a better fit for the sixth-year vet, who has excelled in a role where he is responsible for reading the quarterback while roaming the back end of the defense so he can focus on making plays on the ball. Eddie Jackson stated a desire to get back to making plays (that is, interceptions) in a new defensive scheme that is predicated off turnovers. If he picks off a pass this season, it will be his first since 2019. — Courtney Cronin”
This is a fair assessment for Eddie Jackson that he has the chance to bounce back. This is a defense that is more favorable to safeties succeeding by doing their one and only job.
Over the last few years Jackson has been asked to do a lot more than maybe his capabilities are. He’s not a down the hill blitzer, he’s not a dynamic run stopper, not a roaming linebacker type of strong safety. Eddie Jackson is better off playing single high and attacking the football in the passing game.
The hope is Jackson can step up his game and earn his pay day in a completely revamped secondary. The Bears have brought in significant talent upgrades to bolster the secondary and that in turn should bolster Eddie Jackson’s production. If the Bears get back to a team that gets a lot of takeaways, then Jackson and the defense could return to the winning ways of the 2018 Chicago Bears.
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