{"id":201725,"date":"2024-11-25T10:00:49","date_gmt":"2024-11-25T15:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/?p=201725"},"modified":"2024-11-24T19:38:23","modified_gmt":"2024-11-25T00:38:23","slug":"other-safety-options-for-bears-besides-ex-raven-eddie-jackson","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/11\/25\/other-safety-options-for-bears-besides-ex-raven-eddie-jackson\/","title":{"rendered":"Other Safety Options for Bears Besides Ex-Raven Eddie Jackson"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The Chicago Bears have the injury bug at safety this season. <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/10\/09\/bears-secondary-flapping-their-hands-and-dominating\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Standout safety Jaquan Brisker<\/a> was recently <a href=\"https:\/\/www.si.com\/nfl\/bears-place-jaquan-brisker-ir-concussion-protocol\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">placed on injured reserve<\/a> after spending over a month in concussion protocol. It\u2019s a tough blow, as Brisker was enjoying a strong season with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/player\/stats\/_\/id\/4570044\/jaquan-brisker\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">40 total tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, and one interception<\/a> in just five games.<\/p>\n<p>Adding to the Bears\u2019 woes, backup safety Elijah Hicks is sidelined with an ankle injury, and third-string safety Jonathan Owens had to fill in against the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/vikings\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Minnesota Vikings.<\/a> The team faces a critical need for a long-term solution at strong safety, and turning to former Raven Eddie Jackson isn\u2019t the answer.<\/p>\n<p>The biggest issue is Brisker\u2019s health. He\u2019s now suffered three concussions in as many seasons, raising serious concerns about his reliability. While Brisker is among the league\u2019s top safeties when healthy, his inability to stay on the field makes him a risky long-term option. It\u2019s time for the Bears to explore a more sustainable solution at the position.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">The Ravens have waived S Eddie Jackson. <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/gcuFwClsS6\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/gcuFwClsS6<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Ravens Nation \ud835\ude47\ud835\ude44\ud835\ude51\ud835\ude40 (@LIVERavenNation) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LIVERavenNation\/status\/1860429295669129319?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">November 23, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<h2>Other Safety Options for Bears Besides Ex-Raven Eddie Jackson<\/h2>\n<h3>2025 Free Agent Safety Options<\/h3>\n<h4>Julian Blackmon, Indianapolis Colts<\/h4>\n<div class=\"group\/conversation-turn relative flex w-full min-w-0 flex-col agent-turn\">\n<div class=\"flex-col gap-1 md:gap-3\">\n<div class=\"flex max-w-full flex-col flex-grow\">\n<div class=\"min-h-8 text-message flex w-full flex-col items-end gap-2 whitespace-normal break-words [.text-message+&amp;]:mt-5\" dir=\"auto\" data-message-author-role=\"assistant\" data-message-id=\"ad833294-cf1e-45cc-ad50-28ba6aee1100\" data-message-model-slug=\"gpt-4o\">\n<div class=\"flex w-full flex-col gap-1 empty:hidden first:pt-[3px]\">\n<div class=\"markdown prose w-full break-words dark:prose-invert dark\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/colts\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Indianapolis Colts<\/a> starting safety Julian Blackmon offers more stability than Jaquan Brisker. Not missing a game this season, Blackmon has put up some impressive numbers. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nfl\/player\/stats\/_\/id\/4035661\/julian-blackmon\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">With 61 total tackles, 0.5 sacks, and one interception,<\/a> he&#8217;ll be a cheaper and more reliable option than Brisker for the Bears. The Colts re-signed him to a one-year deal last season, so they may not want to commit to him long-term at the end of this season.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Projected Contract: Three-Year, $21 Million<\/strong><\/p>\n<h4>Jordan Fuller, Carolina Panthers<\/h4>\n<p>Another option for the Bears is <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/panthers\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Carolina Panthers<\/a> safety Jordan Fuller. Although he hasn&#8217;t had the same production as last season with the <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-teams\/rams\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">Los Angeles Rams,<\/a> the 26-year-old brings significant NFL experience. Fuller could be a cost-effective investment with the potential to develop into a long-term solution.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Projected Contract: Two-Year, $7 Million<\/strong><\/p>\n<h3>2025 Safety Draft Prospects<\/h3>\n<h4>Billy Bowman Jr., Oklahoma<\/h4>\n<p>Oklahoma&#8217;s starting safety Billy Bowman Jr. is a safety to watch in this year&#8217;s <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/category\/nfl-draft\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">NFL Draft.<\/a> A rangy player with a talent for tracking the football, Bowman could be an ideal mid-round target for the Bears. In 2024, he\u2019s demonstrated versatility by <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2024\/11\/22\/2025-nfl-draft-early-scouting-report-billy-bowman-jr-oklahoma\/\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_self\">logging over 100 snaps in three different alignments.<\/a> His large catch radius and playmaking ability are sure to excite Bears fans.<\/p>\n<h4>Andrew Mukuba, Texas<\/h4>\n<p>An extremely fast safety with a 4.33 40 time, Andrew Mukuba is another safety prospect to keep an eye on during this year&#8217;s draft. He&#8217;s a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nfldraftbuzz.com\/Player\/Andrew-Mukuba-S-Clemson\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">versatile defender who can play multiple positions<\/a> and has strong coverage skills and a high football IQ. While he\u2019ll need to improve his consistency in finishing plays, Mukuba\u2019s ability to contribute as both an in-box safety and in deep coverage makes him a great fit for the Bears secondary.<\/p>\n<h3>Last Word on Potential Strong Safety Replacements<\/h3>\n<p>While Jaquan Brisker is expected to remain the starting strong safety next season, it will be the final year of his rookie contract. Regardless of the situation, having a dependable safety would be huge for the Bears. In the NFL, availability is crucial, and struggles to stay healthy can ultimately dictate a player\u2019s future.<\/p>\n<p><em>Main Image: David Banks &#8211; USA Today Sports<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Reuniting with former safety Eddie Jackson seems like a potential fix, but the Bears must look beyond him for a solution.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4976,"featured_media":201732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[23,54],"tags":[33001,32991,7403,2328,32714,9084,33007,20292,32064,7638],"class_list":["post-201725","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-bears","category-editorials","tag-andrew-mukuba","tag-billy-bowman","tag-chicago-bears-news","tag-eddie-jackson","tag-elijah-hicks","tag-jaquan-brisker","tag-jonathan-owens","tag-jordan-fuller","tag-julian-blackmon","tag-ravens-featured"],"modified_by":"Isaac Zuniga","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201725","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4976"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=201725"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/201725\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/201732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=201725"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=201725"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=201725"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}