Chicago Bears training camp 2017: Top position battles to watch and predictions

4. Safety: Adrian Amos versus Eddie Jackson

The Chicago Bears signed safety Quintin Demps this offseason to help solidify their secondary. Demps was a fantastic overall presence for the Houston Texans last season, grabbing six interceptions and also being a force around the line of scrimmage. Demps is all but guaranteed to start at one safety position for the Bears, but who will start next to him?

Deiondre’ Hall and Deon Bush may be in this conversation as well, but I think this position battle comes down to incumbent Adrian Amos against rookie Eddie Jackson.

Amos has been a starting safety for the Bears the last two seasons, starting 30 of a possible 32 games through his NFL career. The Bears drafted Amos in the fifth round (142nd overall) of the 2015 NFL Draft. He came in and started 16 games as a rookie and was more of an impact player than anybody really expected.

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Amos has a nice combination of skills. He can defend against the run in the box and was lauded for his coverage ability coming out of college. There is a lot to like about Amos’ game, but he struggled against deep passes last season. Amos let receivers get behind him far too often and it killed the Bears’ defense. As a deep safety, that is the single biggest no-no.

The Bears drafted Jackson in the fourth round (112th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft. He had an impressive career at the University of Alabama. Jackson was one of their best defensive playmakers on two national championship teams. A converted cornerback, Jackson immediately took to the safety position well at Alabama.

He shows great range on the back-end, natural ball skills and never seems to get beat deep. He can also step up and make plays towards the line of scrimmage. Late in his senior season at Alabama, Jackson suffered a broken leg that cost him the rest of the year.

It was an ugly injury that probably cost him a round or two in the draft. However, the Bears were not afraid of taking a chance on the talented Crimson Tide star and I think it is a move that will pay off. Jackson is expected to be healthy and ready to go for training camp and it will be interesting to see him battle against the rest of the safeties.

Prediction: Jackson

When it comes down to it, Jackson’s coverage skills fit extremely well next to Demps. The duo would bring a lot of upside to the table and give the Bears a much-improved unit from last season. Amos’ overall skill set would make him a strong third safety option who could come in and start if needed.

However, as long as he looks healthy and competitive in camp, the Bears would be wise to see what they have in Jackson right away.