IF YOU’RE EDDIE, YOU’RE READY
Jackson wants secondary jelling, and he wants it now
Bears safety Eddie Jackson traveled to the Chicago area Wednesday on a commercial flight. His custom face mask — made by a friend’s mom, with his Alabama and Bears colors and numbers — hung around his neck Thursday as he rode down the street during a video chat.
“It’s totally different, man — waking up, going into stores, restaurants, different places, malls, just having to put on a face mask,” he said of life during a pandemic. “It’s different, but it’s something you get adjusted to it.
“Man, I’m just ready to get back. I don’t care if they tell us to wear a face mask in [Halas Hall]. They just need to let us back in the building.”
Jackson has been eager to take the practice field since minutes after last year’s season finale, when he began touting 2020 as the Bears’ year.
“You know, I really miss football, and it’s like, I don’t know if I can say it enough,” he said. “I’d give up anything right now just to go sit in a meeting room right now, just to watch film with my teammates.
“It’s crazy because . . . you get a break, you want a break, and then, all right, you’re by the field, you start missing football. Now it’s just, ‘We went this long?’ I feel like this is the longest I’ve ever went without having football.”
The hiatus has presented a particular challenge for the defensive backfield, the only area of the Bears’ defense tasked with incorporating new starters. Asked how the defense could maintain the momentum of the last two years, Jackson replied with one word: “Chemistry.” But how does a team develop chemistry when no one can be in the same room together until at least late July?
“We need to get better in the defensive backs room,” Jackson said. “All of that really starts with building relationships with guys.”
In part because they signed Jackson to a monster extension in January — he’ll make $58.4 million over four years — the Bears retooled their defensive backfield on the cheap. They signed Tashaun Gipson to a veteran minimum deal; he figures to start over Deon Bush and replace Ha Ha Clintox-Dix, who joined the Cowboys. After cutting cornerback Prince Amukamara to create salary-cap space, the Bears drafted Utah cornerback Jaylon Johnson in the second round in April. He’s favored to beat out former Steelers first-round pick Artie Burns, ex-CFL star Tre Roberson and third-year player Kevin Toliver.
Slot cornerback Buster Skrine is an old friend of Gipson from their days playing on the Browns. On Wednesday, Skrine described Gipson as an instinctive competitor and said later that everyone knows the Bears are auditioning No. 2 cornerbacks.
“Coming to training camp, it’s going to be interesting,” Skrine said. “I’m excited to see how the battles go.”
Jackson said there’s an added level of comfort as the defense enters Year 2 of coordinator Chuck Pagano’s scheme. Pagano has been teaching players what happens at other positions, so each knows the job of the man next to him.
“I feel like this Year 2 is going to be amazing for our defense,” Jackson said. “Just being here already understanding guys’ positions and where your help is, that helps you play more freely. That’s probably the biggest thing.”
He can’t wait to see it in action. “For us,” Jackson said, “we’re going to pick up right where we left off at, but . . . better. We’re going to get better at a lot of different things.”