NEWSLETTER
Eddie Jackson is back on the practice turf at Halas Hall for the first time since suffering a season-ending foot injury on that awful, good-for-nothing MetLife surface last November.
And this is what it looked like for Jackson as he was getting back into the swing of things at OTAs:
To see Jackson doing individual drills and practicing feels like an important step in his recovery process. No, it’s not practicing with pads. But we’ll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, we should be mindful of the work Jackson has put in to make it to this point and appreciative that he is healthy enough to step on the practice field in the first place. Jackson has been relatively fortunate since the injury. First, to not need surgical repair. And now, to be practicing with his teammates. This is huge.
Remember how well Jackson was playing before the injury? Jackson went from saying this was the best he’d felt since 2018 to showing it with his play. A more aggressive Jackson had him looking like his old self. He was even the NFC’s top Pro Bowl vote-getter among free safeties at the time of his injury. In addition to leveling up his play, Jackson grew into a leadership role. A vocal one, too, I might add. And it ultimately led the Bears to put the “C” on his chest and make him a captain.
Bears Head Coach Matt Eberflus told reporters (h/t The Athletic’s Kevin Fishbain) that Jackson “worked his tail off to get back to where he is.” And I’m so glad that he did. Because Jackson is one of the NFL’s best safeties when he is healthy and hitting on all cylinders. We’ve seen Jackson bounce back before. Thinking about what he can do in an encore performance has me excited for training camp to open its doors.
