Matt Eberflus speaks on Eddie Jackson
One of the most puzzling issues with the Chicago Bears team over the past two years has been the regression of Eddie Jackson. After hauling 10 interceptions in his first three seasons as a Bear, he has zero over the past two. This even has a lot of Bears fans calling for his job.
Adam Hoge mentioned that HC Matt Eberflus said safety Eddie Jackson has "a fresh slate" in his defense. He also wants Jackson to show off his skillset. He then mentioned that the safety has "really good instincts" and the ability to blitz.
This is very encouraging to hear that our head coach and defensive guru is liking what he has in Jackson. However, to be quite honest, he has no choice...
With the hefty contract he has received a few years ago, he still has 3 seasons left with over $15 million of cap hit. This is a lot of money for a player that has been as disappointing as he has been lately.
Financially, it does not make much sense to either trade or cut him and I really don't see that happening anytime soon. The only realistic course of action is to keep him with the team for at least the 2022 season.
Jackson is still fairly young (29) and he can provide very good play in pass coverage. However, he has been plain and simple horrible trying to tackle the last two seasons. Here is an example:
Hopefully, Eberflus is right and he is able to rejuvenate Jackson's career in his new scheme!
Here is the type of coverage he can bring:
