Getty Safety Eddie Jackson of the Chicago Bears
Tyrann Mathieu is coming off his second All-Pro season in which he also won a Super Bowl with the Kansas City Chiefs. The seven-year vet and the man they call ‘Honey Badger’ has become one of the best and most respected defensive backs in the game, and he recently appeared on the 2 for 1 Drafts podcast to discuss the upcoming season.
Mathieu also got into specifics about the players in the NFL whose skill sets and styles of play he admires, and while names like Jamal Adams and Harrison Smith came up, the Honey Badger saved his hugest compliments for Chicago Bears All-Pro safety Eddie Jackson.
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Tyrann Mathieu on Eddie Jackson: He’s the ‘Best Cover 4 Safety’ in NFL
When asked what he thinks makes an elite NFL safety, Mathieu named several traits he deemed crucial. “You have to have the ability to lift the guys around you,” Mathieu said. “I think that’s true leadership.” He also stressed the importance of good communication.
“You have to be able to communicate really well not only with your teammates, but with your coaches, as well. Things happen fast during the course of a game, and you have to be the guy to see it all. You also have to be able to play deep, and to play short,” Mathieu declared.
When he gave his opinion about who the most elite safeties in the NFL were, Mathieu listed Adams and Smith before singling out Jackson. “Obviously Eddie Jackson. His ball-hawking ability? He’s probably the best Cover 4 safety in the National Football League, period. Harrison Smith is probably a close No. 2, but Eddie, he’s great at what he does.”
Honey Badger’s Praise Comes After Serious Disrespect Thrown Jackson’s Way
GettyChicago Bears’ safety Eddie Jackson has had multiple media outlets overlook him already this offseason. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
Jackson and his fellow members of the Bears defense haven’t exactly been getting showered with praise this offseason. In June, CBS Sports released a list of the NFL’s 10 best safeties that didn’t include Jackson, and many have criticized his recent Madden 21 ratings, which have him ranked as the eighth-best safety in the league (Madden 21 also has Mathieu ranked second).
Jackson and Bears standout defensive lineman Akiem Hicks also barely missed Pro Football Focus’ list of the NFL’s top 50 players, with Khalil Mack being the only member of the team to make the list.
Perhaps getting credit from players like Mathieu — who was ranked No. 1 on the same CBS Sports poll that omitted Jackson entirely — means far more than being left off an analyst’s poll, but you have to wonder what the people overlooking Jackson are thinking. He has made two Pro Bowls in his three seasons, and was an All-Pro in 2018. His stat line also speaks for itself: he has 184 tackles, four forced fumbles, five total touchdowns, five fumble recoveries, two sacks and 10 interceptions since entering the league in 2017.
He also signed a four-year, $58 million contract extension with the Bears this offseason, making him one of the highest-paid safeties in the NFL. Thus, while several members of the media keep failing to notice, at least the Bears — and some of the league’s best players — recognize Jackson’s greatness.
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