With a good jump, Eddie Jackson closed the gap, arriving in plenty of time to break up a Justin Fields pass deep over the middle for Equanimeous St. Brown on Tuesday at the Walter Payton Center.
With steady rain falling, Chicago Bears coach Matt Eberflus shifted practice indoors to get in good work in the passing game. It was one of a handful of really nice plays for the defense. When Jackson headed to the sideline with a large grin on his face, there were hand slaps from teammates to go around.
In a vacuum, that play is why general manager Ryan Poles decided to keep the 29-year-old Jackson, coming off an injury to his Lisfranc ligament in his left foot in November, with his contract set to pay him $13.1 million this season.
Jackson enjoyed a bounce-back season in 2022 with four interceptions, six pass deflections and two forced fumbles to go with 80 tackles. Without question, it was his best season since 2019, and as a more steady tackler for the new coaching staff, he was one of the few bright spots on defense.
A long offseason spent primarily at Halas Hall rehabbing from the injury suffered in a Week 12 loss to the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium paid off. Jackson was mostly in individual drills last week when he first got back on the field during OTAs and was a participant in full team drills during the first day of minicamp. His timeline for recovery was aided by the fact he did not require surgery, something he learned before the season concluded. He expressed gratitude for the help he received from the training staff.
“It was huge,” Jackson said. “That was the goal to get back in time for vet minicamp. Just to be out there with the guys and get that chemistry back. We have a lot of new faces, especially on the defensive side of the ball.
“It’s just a different feel out there right now, even for me when I got back and watched from the sideline, you just see the energy that the young guys even bring. Then (linebackers) Tremaine (Edmunds), T.J. (Edwards), those guys inside, they are a staple to our defense. Just continue to build off the momentum but the energy is high.”
As much as the new front office and coaching staff valued Jackson for becoming a playmaker in the middle of the field, his leadership was critical for a young roster that will be very young again. He was a sounding board for fellow safety Jaquan Brisker during his successful rookie season, and other rookies held Jackson in high regard. It was evident in the postgame locker room that Jaylon Jones and Elijah Hicks, players who could add depth to the secondary this season, were devastated last year when Jackson was injured simply backpedaling. They were following his lead on and off the field,and Jackson had hosted players at his home just days prior on Thanksgiving.
The Bears would like Jackson to help rookie cornerbacks Tyrique Stevenson and Terell Smith, among others, this season.
“He’s been a true pro,” Eberflus said. “He’s works his tail off. And it wasn’t easy. His love of football helped him to do it. It’s infectious for him the way he works and the experience he brings to the table for our entire secondary because we have a pretty young secondary now. He’s that one guy in there that has that experience and brings that know-how and what to do and how to do it to our room. We really love where Eddie is.”
Jackson had been down the injury road before, so he knew about the grind that would be involved in making it back. What he hadn’t experienced is a season as raw and distasteful as 2022 when the Bears stumbled to 3-14. Entering his seventh season, maybe there was a lesson in that.
“Especially right now, these years, we can’t waste them,” he said. “I feel like I go out there — I’ve got to lead the right way. I’ve got to lead by example. I’ve got to go out there and play the best ball that I can and and make plays.
“How I act, how I go out there, how I perform. I feel like we feed off that. We feed off one another. Just going out there and just doing my best. It’s huge. It’s Year 7 for me, so it’s not more years to waste. Every year I want to come out and improve and get better and better.”
If Jackson can continue to make plays in the post like he did on Day 1 of minicamp, he’ll be just the kind of leader the Bears need — one that leads first by his performance.
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