NEWSLETTER
The Chicago Bears’ first training camp practice open to the public has come and gone. And with training camp underway and the team’s August 2 debut at the Hall of Fame Game around the corner, let’s take an early look at who’s on the team right now.
Previous: Quarterbacks, Running backs, Wide receivers, Tight ends, Offensive tackles, Guards/centers, Defensive line, Inside linebackers, Outside linebackers, Cornerbacks.
Today: Safeties
The Starters: Eddie Jackson (73 tackles, 2 interceptions, 3 fumble recoveries, 77.1 grade from Pro Football Focus), Adrian Amos (69 tackles, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles, 92.0)
The Reserves: DeAndre Houston-Carson, Deon Bush, Nick Orr
Potential Training Camp Star: At this time, last year, Eddie Jackson broke onto the scene, and played his way into a Week 1 starting role by showing out at training camp. The question now isn’t what’s next for Jackson, but instead what can’t the Alabama product do? Jackson proved to be a willing and able tackler on top of having a nose for the ball as well as showing a knack for making plays and creating turnovers. There’s some real star power here, if Jackson can prove that his rookie season was no fluke. The first step toward that should come with him taking advantage of a practice season that should see the ball flying around the gridiron.
We Really Like: What’s not to like about the Bears’ starting safeties? After years of being unable to draft and develop NFL-caliber safeties, GM Ryan Pace seems to have hit the spot with Jackson andAdrian Amos. Even if Amos isn’t the “elite” guy Pro Football Focus’ metrics say he is, he’s a darn good starter (and was one scouting group’s top-ranked safety), who has been solid in the run game since his rookie season and is only now starting to get a grasp on making plays as a pass defender. Amos just turned 25 and Jackson won’t turn 25 until December, so it’s not inconceivable that the best could still be yet to come for this tandem. That is, of course, if the Bears can come to an agreement on a contract extension with Amos. Which brings us to…
We Might Be Worried About: … is that going to get done or what? Amos has been a solid starter since being drafted out of Penn State in 2015. HOWEVER, the Bears didn’t show much confidence in him prior to last year when they signed veteran Quintin Demps to a deal and inserted him as a starter. The Bears struggled to fill in for Amos when he missed a handful of games in the middle of the season, resorting to signing Chris Prosinski for a three-game stretch. I’m not saying the Bears should hand over a blank check, but why mess with a good thing when you haven’t been able to talk about safety play without cowering in fear since Mike Brown and Chris Harris were healthy and roaming in the defensive backfield?
2018 Forecast: Having quality starters in Jackson and Amos makes it easy to feel good about this group, but the reserves are intriguing. Deon Bush was a fourth-round pick in 2016 and is pushing for a roster spot. DeAndre Houston-Carson seems to have a firm grip on a role as a special teams ace. Nick Orr was a priority undrafted free agent signing who could start the season on the practice squad and work his way to the 53-man roster.
