The first offseason for Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Poles has been more about saying goodbye to previous defensive mainstays than welcoming in new ones.
In the last month, Poles has traded star pass rusher Khalil Mack and released nose tackle Eddie Goldman and linebacker Danny Trevathan in an attempt to free up cap space and get younger on the defensive side of the ball. Poles also has allowed defensive linemen Akiem Hicks and Bilal Nichols to hit free agency, with Nichols already finding a new team.
It feels as if many of the big-name players who signed substantial deals in the Ryan Pace era have been on the chopping block as of late. But according to head coach Matt Eberflus, one of them is getting new life in his system.
Eberflus, speaking to reporters at the NFL owners meetings on Tuesday, said safety Eddie Jackson will have a “fresh slate” this season after coming under scrutiny over the last few years. The new coach spoke glowingly of the 28-year old safety and has plans on how he could be best utilized.
“I think he’s got really good instincts,” Eberflus said, according to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin. “You look at the positive, what he can do, and he’s taking the ball away. He’s really proficient at blitzing. I think he times it up well, does a good job there, does a good job in coverage, so we’ll see where it is.”
"times it up well, does a good job there, does a nice job in coverage, so we’ll see where it is."
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) March 29, 2022
Jackson, now playing for his third professional head coach, has yet to hit the highs from his first two seasons in the league. After being selected in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL draft, Jackson became a prototypical ball-hawking safety. He totaled eight interceptions, three forced fumbles, and scored five defensive touchdowns from 2017-2018.
Following the 2019 season where he still had three turnovers, Jackson signed a lucrative four-year, $58.4 million contract with $33 million guaranteed. Since then, he’s failed to meet expectations and hasn’t recorded an interception in two full seasons. Jackson has also been heavily criticized for missing tackles and playing with lackluster effort at times.
Eberflus has been on record saying he expects high effort out of his players on every single snap. Anyone who doesn’t provide that is considered a “loaf.”
It will be interesting to see if Jackson falls into that category as he begins working with Eberflus, but it appears he’ll have a fair chance to show that he can still be a dynamic playmaker in the secondary.
