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Bears cut two key veteran leaders originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago
The Bears are cutting ties with longtime free safety Eddie Jackson and offensive lineman Cody Whitehair. That makes both players free agents now and gives them the opportunity to sign with a team before the rest of the free agent market opens for negotiations on March 11.
Jackson was best known in Chicago for his big playmaking abilities in the back of the Bears defense, including several defensive touchdowns. His two pick-sixes in 2018 led the NFL and gave the Bears their characteristic swagger on defense.
Recently, Jackson was hampered by a foot injury that cost him 10 games over the past two seasons. He did not make the same playmaking impact that the team had been accustomed to in 2023, but in 2022 he won the team’s Ballhawk Award with four interceptions and two forced fumbles.
Even though Jackson didn’t take away the ball at the same pace last season, he still played an important role as the de-facto quarterback of the defense. Teammates and coaches alike credited Jackson for making sure every player was in the right place and understood their assignment.
“Eddie anticipates fast,” said safeties coach Andre Curtis towards the end of last season. “Really fast. He sees it. He sees it before it happens and he’s communicating, ‘Alert on this motion. Be alert for this.’ A lot of guys can learn that stuff or see that stuff, but can they share it or process it to the other people? Some guys have a knack for that and Eddie, that’s what makes him really cool back there.”
The Bears drafted Jackson in the fourth round of the 2017 draft. Over the course of his seven-year career with the team he intercepted 15 passes, forced 10 fumbles and recovered six more. More impressively he scored six defensive touchdowns from those takeaways.
Jackson earned Pro Bowl honors twice with the Bears and was named a First-Team All-Pro once. He was named a captain by his teammates for the second half…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/bears-cut-two-key-veteran-211109018.html
Author : NBC Sports Chicago
Publish date : 2024-02-15 21:11:09
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