NEWSLETTER
I’m hitting the road with some friends on our first post-vaccination excursion. Here’s hoping the gang likes the Taylor Swift power hour portion of the road trip playlist.
• Bears safety Eddie Jackson is among the first to take advantage of a new rule that loosened up rules about what players could wear which numbers. Here’s a sneak peak at what quarterbacks will see going the other way after an interception next year:
B O J 4️⃣ C K pic.twitter.com/Y8I8pJHa26
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 21, 2021
• The Bears have a bajillion numbers (give or take) that are retired, so this newfound flexibility is probably making life easier on the equipment managers at Halas Hall. And it’s giving players a little more freedom of choice as they come to the league. Here’s hoping Jackson looks like he did when he was wearing No. 4 at Alabama.
• So much of football is mental. And because Eddie Jackson is too talented to go as long as he has without an interception, a part of me wonders if the number change will spark something within him. Maybe it will take his aura to another level. There are certain players who look good wearing certain numbers. It looks right on them. I think No. 4 looks great on Jackson. And you know how the saying goes: If you look good, you play good. And if you play good, they pay good.
• When the Bears drafted Jackson in 2017, one of the aspects of his game I was most looking forward to was his impact as a punt returner. We already knew about Chicago’s long-standing safety issues when they chose him coming out of Alabama. But one thing some overlooked was his potential to improve a return game that had been sorely lacking since Devin Hester’s departure. I remember Jackson fielding punts at training camp thinking he would be something special. But he was deemed too important on defense to risk him on special teams. Nevertheless, we need to keep in mind that being a special teams ace is a surefire way to make a statement when fighting for a roster spot. And for what it’s worth, I think Day 3 pick Khalil Herbert understands that.
“I’m trying to help out the team any way possible,” Herbert said, via the Bears’ official website. “whether it be any type of special teams or on offense. But kick return is something I pride myself on and I know how it can affect the game to start out drives and help the offense get field position.”
• If Herbert’s pro output can match what he did at college, then I can’t wait to see him with the ball in his hands in the open field. I’ve had an unsettling feeling the Bears will miss Cordarrelle Patterson ever since he signed with the Falcons. Perhaps Herbert can soften the blow of Patterson’s departure:
• When you’re a Bears fan, you’ve come to expect the unexpected. But some surprises never materialize. And while I’m not one to do bold predictions, I’ll go out on a limb and suggest Tarik Cohen isn’t on the chopping block. Michael Balko of the NFL Analysis Network goes around the NFC North attempting to unearth one “shocking” player each team could cut. I was stopped dead in my tracks when Balko brought up Tarik Cohen. Sure, Cohen’s cut would be shocking in the sense that it would be unexpected. But on the other hand, it’s not the type of surprising cut that would make any sense. Cohen is an integral part of the offense.
• There’s a reason we saw that group struggle in the immediate aftermath of his season-ending ACL injury. Adding Hebert and Damian Williams to the backfield doesn’t make Cohen expendable, as the above-linked analysis suggests. Instead, bringing those guys in figures to free Cohen up to be more of an impact player in other areas. Cutting Cohen would be a step in the wrong direction. And it would come with a loss of $3.4 million in cap space. So, in other words, that ain’t happening.
• How about some Tarik Cohen highlights to put you in a good mental space on a Friday:
• Yeah … a guy who can line up in the backfield, out wide, in the slot, take carries, catch passes as a back, return kicks, and field punts isn’t going to be on the chopping block because the team added some depth to round out the position. Especially not after having its lack of depth exposed after that player’s injury last season.
• Waffle House cares:
We don’t have @WaffleHouse in Chicago but they made sure to send #Bears WR Dazz Newsome (@dazznewsome05) a care package: pic.twitter.com/FT68mfNHKn
— Zack Pearson (@Zack_Pearson) May 21, 2021
• Fanatics has put together gift boxes (variety packs of team-related stuff), and I reckon the timing is designed to tie in to Father’s Day. So if you’re looking for an idea there, check this out.
