NEWSLETTER
First-team All-Pro safety Eddie Jackson is officially back in the lineup for the NFL’s top defense.
The Chicago Bears shared their list of inactive players for Sunday’s playoff game against the Philadelphia Eagles and Jackson was not on the list. Jackson hasn’t played since suffering an ankle injury in the fourth quarter of the team’s Week 15 against the Green Bay Packers. He tested the injury out earlier in the week and was limited in practice on Friday. Now, there is a chance Jackson is playing at less than 100 percent, but an All-Pro at less than 100 percent is still an All-Pro.
Jackson will give it his all and try to do the things that made him a top tier safety as a second-year pro. If Jackson struggles for stretches, look for Deon Bush to step in (as he did while Jackson was out) to give the star safety a breather. As it stands, we’re over the moon to see Jackson on the active roster.
On the other end of the emotional spectrum, seeing tight end Trey Burton as INACTIVE is a bummer. Burton showed up on the injury report late Saturday night with a groin injury. Chris Emma of 670 The Score tweets Burton did not test the injury before the game. Needless to say, there are plenty of questions regarding the injury that has sidelined the Bears’ top tight end for the biggest game of the year. This leaves Adam Shaheen and Ben Braunecker as the top tight end targets for quarterback Mitch Trubisky, whose passer rating was north of 100 when throwing to Burton this season.
As for the Bears’ entire list of inactives for today’s playoff game, here we go:
Today's inactives for #DaBears:
11 Kevin White
64 Eric kush
69 Rashaad Coward
80 Trey Burton
83 Javon Wims
97 Nick Williams
99 Aaron Lynch#PHIvsCHI | #NFLPlayoffs— Chicago Bears (@BearsPR) January 6, 2019
Javon Wims made some nice catches against the Vikings in Week 17’s game that turned out to be an open audition for a possible future role. Kevin White did some positive things too, even if they were wiped away because of penalties that were called or overlooked because of penalties that weren’t whistled. But in the end, neither is active on Sunday – even with Burton not suiting up. I suppose this is a sign the Bears are confident in the health of wide receivers Allen Robinson II, Taylor Gabriel, and Anthony Miller. All three of those players were full participants in practices leading up to the game, but each missed time against the Vikings (and in Robinson’s case, the whole game).
Joining Wims, White, and Burton among the inactives are offensive linemen Eric Kush and Rashaad Coward, defensive lineman Nick Williams, and outside linebacker Aaron Lynch. The Bears have been without Lynch since the second half of their Week 15 game against Green Bay. And even though Lynch hasn’t practiced since before that contest, he was listed as doubtful entering today. Unfortunately, Lynch wasn’t in a place where he was good enough to give it a go on game day. That leaves Isaiah Irving as the reserve situational pass-rusher against the Eagles.
We’ll have more fore you when Pre-Gamin’ posts closer to game time.
