Eddie Jackson has seen it all over the course of the last six years with the Chicago Bears. He’s been a part of defenses that have been elite, good, average, and putrid since he was drafted back in 2017. Unfortunately, that last description sums up the 2022 unit perfectly. But given the offseason overhaul on that side of the ball, most recently with the addition of defensive end Yannick Ngakoue, Jackson can see a strong group forming before his eyes.
The Bears inked Ngakoue to a one-year deal worth $10 million guaranteed on Friday, bringing much-needed help to the defensive line. The Bears totaled just 20 sacks in 2022 and Ngakoue has never had a season with less than eight. He’s a significant upgrade but Jackson was excited about what the defense was building even before the signing was made. “I feel good, man,” Jackson said with a smile on his face in response to a question by the Chicago Tribune’s Dan Wiederer. “I don’t want to sit up here and sound like a broken record but it’s fired up out there right now. It’s intense, everyone is flying around, guys are locked in. It’s a whole different mindset compared to last year.”
A different mindset from last year wouldn’t be a bad thing. The Bears defense was near the bottom in every statistical category, but has taken steps this offseason to improve. Now with Ngakoue on the line, a gaping hole was filled. Jackson was hyped the moment he learned of the move, saying Jaquan Brisker texted him the news. He responded simply with “it’s up!”
Jackson was then asked by NBC Sports Chicago’s Josh Schrock on how Ngakoue’s presence potentially raises expectations. “It’s getting scarier and scarier,” he said. “We’re adding more talent and when that starts to mesh together, I mean everyone in here has seen what that’s going to happen when you have a very large group of talented players and people that are locked in and really love football. That’s more fuel to the fire. We just keep taking it up a notch.”
Eddie Jackson says Jaquan Brisker texted him when the Bears signed Yannick Ngakoue and responded "it's up!" Defense is confident and Ngakoue has brought even more juice to the unit.
"It's getting scarier and scarier."
— Josh Schrock (@Schrock_And_Awe) August 4, 2023
At multiple times during the press conference, Jackson acknowledged he tends to hype the defense up from time to time in these press conferences, but he’s adamant this time is different. “I hate to sound like a broken record every year saying the same thing, but listen, it’s a different feeling right now. You feel the culture shift.”
The veteran Bears safety is a big part of that culture shift. After a down year in 2020 and a disastrous 2021, Jackson had a renaissance in 2022 with the arrival of head coach Matt Eberflus. He was on his way to a Pro Bowl nod having picked off four passes and forcing two fumbles. But a foot injury ended his season prematurely.
Now fully healthy and with rising playmakers such as Brisker, Kyler Gordon, and Tremaine Edmunds, Jackson is exuding a confidence we haven’t seen in years. He’s so confident in fact that when he was asked by Chicago Sun-Times reporter Mark Potash if he wished Aaron Rodgers was still with the Packers, Jackson couldn’t help but call him out.
“I really do wish [Aaron Rodgers] was back on the Packers,” Jackson said earnestly. “We’re going to take it how it comes, but I really do wish because, woo, this year? it’s going to be scary.” Jackson won’t have a chance to intercept Rodgers after he was dealt to the New York Jets, but he won’t have to wait long to show new Packers quarterback Jordan Love what this defense can do when they visit Soldier Field to open the season. If the Bears defensive leader is correct, Love and everyone else will see a scary unit, brimming with playmaking potential.