Eddie Jackson stealing the show at Chicago Bears training camp

Eddie Jackson’s looking like he could be 2017 draft steal of the year for the Chicago Bears. Will he start at free safety Week 1 of the regular season?

Last week, I listed Eddie Jackson as the top Chicago Bears player I expected to stand out at training camp. Given that he was just getting fully healthy against after recovering from a broken leg last year, as well as him being a rookie, one could’ve seen that as a risky prediction.

Apparently, it wasn’t.

Not only has Jackson flashed several times early in camp, but he legitimately could see the lion’s share of first-team snaps next to Quintin Demps. Talk about turning heads…

And with the Bears’ first preseason game approaching, Jackson could solidify his place as a starter soon. Could he finally be the playmaking free safety Chicago has craved since the days of All-Pro Mike Brown?

Ball Skills on Display

Coming out of Alabama, Jackson’s instincts and ball skills in the passing game led the Chicago Bears to pick him in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.

And he has not disappointed so far in camp, showing off both range, football IQ and playmaking ability.

https://twitter.com/ChicagoBears/status/892890395306328064

His first interception of training camp, while coming on a slight overthrow by Mitch Trubisky, demonstrated multiple important abilities that Chicago Bears safeties have lacked for some time: instinct, positioning and being opportunistic.

Here’s how the Chicago Tribune’s Rich Campbell described the play after Sunday’s practice:

"He began the sequence by identifying (Rueben) Randle as his responsibility in his half of the field. Then he saw Trubisky open up to throw.“He was staring him down,” Jackson said of Trubisky. “I just broke and made the play.”Jackson trusted his instincts, got over top of Randle and made the interception. He didn’t undercut the route, and it’s possible that Randle either could have gotten a hand on it or Trubisky could have put it closer to the target. But Jackson was aggressive at the catch point and made the interception. That’s exactly what the Bears want to see."

While training camp interceptions ultimately don’t mean he’ll be great, there are a few interesting points about this play. For one, Jackson, a rookie, trusts his instincts strongly enough to run and make a play without hesitation. That’s a huge deal. Sure, Aaron Rodgers won’t stare down targets like Trubisky did in this case, but it hardly matters. Jackson trusts what he knows, and it’s made for some head-turning plays early in camp.

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Also, it doesn’t matter ultimately if the pick came on a slightly poor throw or not. How many times have Bears safeties either: 1) been nowhere near the football; or 2) failed to make the play even if they were in position? Not every turnover has to be spectacular. It just has to get the ball back for your team. So far, Jackson’s been showing he can make that happen.

And he’s also proven he can make plays in tougher situations as well. During the Bears’ end zone drill on Wednesday, Jackson locked onto Mark Sanchez, ranging from one end of the field to the other to pick off the veteran quarterback.

Once again, his already well-developed instincts allowed him to make a surprising play. Furthermore, how can one not like Jackson big plays in the red zone, even if it was only in practice? In a meaningful contest, that kind of play can change the outlook of a game.

High Praise from the Head Coach

Jackson’s play has, not surprisingly, caught the eye of head coach John Fox. In particular, Fox praised his mental capabilities as a young player, pointing to his tutelage under Nick Saban as a big reason for his ability to flash so early in his career.

What was a bit shocking, however, was who Fox mentioned Jackson in the same breath as in terms of his ball skills, both as an interceptor and as a return man. From the Chicago Sun-Times’ Mark Potash:

“He’s been a return man, particularly tracking punts,” Fox said. “Typically those guys — going as far back as a guy like [Hall of Famer] Rod Woodson — they have good ball skills, and he seems to do that pretty naturally.”

I get it: he’s not saying that Jackson is or will be as good as Woodson. It’s just a comparison of general skill sets.

But still: he just said the words “Rod Woodson”, which corresponds with a man who’s the all-time leader in interception return touchdowns (12) and third all-time interceptions (52) and non-offensive touchdowns (17), in the same sentence as his rookie safety. This is coming from the same guy couldn’t find it within himself to put Jordan Howard on the field immediately last year when he was clearly the best back on the team.

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As such, it should shock no one if Jackson starts at free safety next to Quintin Demps. Of course, with every early evaluation, I must point out that we haven’t even played a preseason game yet. A lot of things can change in the next few weeks. Maybe Jackson regresses. Maybe Adrian Amos steps his game up.

But right now, Jackson’s looking like he could be this year’s steal of the draft for the Chicago Bears.

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