The Chicago Bears are one team that people are keeping a close eye on heading into the 2024 offseason. They have the power to change the landscape of the NFL depending on what decisions they make with the assets they have in their possession.
Owning the No. 1 pick in the draft for a second straight year, the Bears are going to change the fortunes of another franchise at the quarterback position. Whether it is trading the first pick to continue developing Justin Fields or using the first pick themselves and trading Fields, another team is going to have a new quarterback on their depth chart in 2024.
On top of the draft capital, the Bears are also going to have a ton of spending power in free agency. Chicago currently has the third most cap space in the NFL and fourth most effective cap space according to Over The Cap.
NFL News & Rumors: Eddie Jackson, Cody Whitehair, Chicago Bears Updates
Alas, teams can never have too much cap space to operate with and the Bears opened up a lot more this afternoon. The team announced that they have released safety Eddie Jackson and guard Cody Whitehair, saving about $21.5 million against the 2024 salary cap.
Jackson was selected in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft out of Alabama and has spent his entire seven-year career in the Windy City. He has been an integral part of the Bears’ defense over that time, starting all 100 games that he played in.
In those seven years, Jackson was named a Pro Bowler twice and earned All-Pro First Team honors in 2018. He has recorded 15 interceptions, three of which he returned for a touchdown, with 44 passes defended. Jackson also forced 10 fumbles and recovered six as a playmaking safety.
Whitehair was selected in the second round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Kansas State. He has spent his entire eight-year career up until this point with the Bears as well. He also made the Pro Bowl team in 2018 for his only appearance.
NFL News & Rumors: Eddie Jackson, Cody Whitehair, Chicago Bears Updates
The writing was on the wall in regard to Whirehair’s tenure with the team coming to an end in 2023. For the first time in his career, he wasn’t a full-time starter, as he appeared in all 17 games but started only 11. Before that point, he started every game he had appeared in.
Both players should find markets in free agency, but will likely be second or third-wave players. Whitehair had the worst PFF grade of his career in 2023 with a 45 as he was underwhelming as both a run and pass blocker. Jackson also had his lowest career grade of 58.6 overall this past season, as he was slightly below average across the board.
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