The Chicago Bears have had an amazing turnaround this year, going from a five-win team to one that has a realistic chance of winning the NFC North. With a win on Saturday, the chances of Chicago winning its first division title since 2018 could shoot through the roof, and there are a lot of individuals who have played a role in that potential success.
While head coach Ben Johnson and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen deserve a lot of the credit, a name lower on the list is linebacker D’Marco Jackson. A 27-year-old linebacker added by the Bears after training camp cuts, Jackson had his best game of the season, winning the NFC Defensive Player of the Week Award for his Week 15 performance against the Cleveland Browns.
As the regular season winds down, Jackson is starting to take off, and he is no longer the Bears’ secret after gaining national attention.
Bears May Have to Fight Off Other Teams for D’Marco Jackson’s Services in 2026
A fifth-round pick by the New Orleans Saints in the 2022 draft, Jackson didn’t appear in a game during his rookie season. Learning under Allen, who was the head coach in New Orleans at the time, Jackson played in all 17 games during his sophomore year, recording 12 total tackles and returning a fumble for a touchdown. He followed that up with a quiet 10-tackle performance across 10 games in Year 2.
A player who didn’t have a tackle for loss in his first two seasons understandably didn’t draw headlines, but Jackson has taken advantage of the opportunities provided by an injury-riddled Bears’ linebacker group.
After seeing his playing time spike with 72 snaps in a Week 12 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jackson has racked up 30 total tackles with two tackles for loss. While that Steelers performance included a career-high with 15 total tackles, Jackson put an exclamation point on his surge against the Browns with seven total tackles, one tackle for loss, a sack, and an interception.
In addition, Jackson has been excellent on special teams. His 68.7 Pro Football Focus grade on 210 snaps ranks 10th on the team, while his five special teams tackles are tied for fifth behind Daniel Hardy (9), Jonathan Owens (9), Roschon Johnson (7), and Elijah Hicks (7).
Jackson’s emergence creates an interesting situation going forward. Edwards and Tremaine Edmunds, who could return Saturday against the Packers, will hold the starting roles, and Noah Sewell will serve in a reserve/special teams role. But Jackson could still get playing time after Amen Ogbongbemiga suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday, and Ruben Hyppolite has disappointed in his rookie year.
Even if Jackson slides down the depth chart, the secret is out, and other teams could come calling. By hitting his stride, a spot on the Bears’ 2026 roster seems like a formality unless another team decides to pay up and make him their own secret when he becomes a free agent this spring.