Chicago Bears: 5 players who could earn NFL honors, awards in 2021
By Ryan Heckman
Chicago Bears safety Eddie Jackson could earn an All Pro selection
The first man up for the Bears, on this list, is a guy who will be more than ready to revert to form. Former All Pro safety Eddie Jackson could be in line to earn that title once again in 2021, and Bears fans would not be surprised in the least.
Last year, Jackson looked like he took a bit of a step back. However, new defensive coordinator Sean Desai has long worked with Jackson and used to be the right hand man of Vic Fangio here in Chicago. If anyone knows what it takes to get the best out of Jackson, it’s Desai.
You better believe Desai will be putting Jackson in the best position to succeed. He’s seen Jackson play at an elite level recently, and knows just how important that is to the Bears’ success. When Jackson was scoring touchdowns at a ridiculous rate, and continuing to take the ball away from the opposing offense, the Bears were borderline unstoppable on defense.
Now that the Bears have hope on offense in Justin Fields, maybe the defense can take even a little more risk in their approach. Jackson thrives in those situations. All he needs is a little quarterback pressure to make some magic happen — and the Bears have plenty of pass rush at full strength.
Back during his All Pro season in 2018, Jackson picked off six passes, forced two fumbles and recovered one, on his way to scoring three defensive touchdowns. He also added 15 passes defensed to that impressive line. If I had to bet on one Bears defender to turn heads this season, Jackson would be challenging for that spot.