The Chicago Bears made two significant roster moves on Thursday, announcing them simultaneously.
Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic reported on February 15 that the team has chosen to part ways with safety Eddie Jackson and offensive lineman Cody Whitehair a little less than one month ahead of the official opening of free agency on March 13.
The Bears announce that Eddie Jackson and Cody Whitehair have been released.
“The Bears announce that Eddie Jackson and Cody Whitehair have been released,” Fishbain posted to X.
Both men were starters in 2023. Jackson started all 12 games in which he played last season, while Whitehair earned 11 starts in 17 appearances.
Whitehair was a member of Chicago’s roster for eight years, playing in 124 games and starting 118 of those, per Pro Football Reference. He earned Pro Bowl honors as a center with the team in 2018.
Meanwhile, Jackson started all 100 contests in which he appeared across a seven-year stretch with the franchise. He earned Pro Bowl nods in back-to-back seasons in 2018 and 2019, and was also a member of the NFL’s first-team All-Pro selections in 2018.
Cody Whitehair, Eddie Jackson Longest-Tenured Members of Bears’ Units
GettyFormer Chicago Bears offensive lineman Cody Whitehair.
Fishbain noted in a separate social media post Thursday that Jackson and Whitehair were the longest-tenured Bears on their respective sides of the football, adding that Chicago no longer has any players on the roster who the team drafted prior to 2020.
The amount of money each man represented on the Bears’ salary cap sheet was also significant. Whitehair most recently signed a five-year, $51.25 million deal in September 2019, while Jackson inked a four-year contract worth $58.4 million in January 2020.
That said, Chicago will undoubtedly feel the losses of both players on the field and in the locker room.
“This move isn’t surprising,” The Athletic’s Adam Jahns wrote of Whitehair’s release on Thursday. “But it’s the end of a solid run by Cody Whitehair, a long-time stalwart up front for the Bears and a respected team leader. He did everything asked of him, including switching positions multiple times, with no complaints.”
Eddie Jackson Was Once Among Best Safeties in NFL
GettySafety Eddie Jackson, formerly of the Chicago Bears.
Jahns’ assessment of Jackson’s career was also relatively glowing, and rightfully so.
“Safety Eddie Jackson was arguably the best draft pick from the [general manager] Ryan Pace era,” Jahns wrote. “At his best, he was a feared ballhawk and game-changer in the secondary.”
Even shy of his best, Jackson was never a player with whom defenses thought intentionally to trifle. He unquestionably struggled in pass coverage over the last few seasons, allowing collective completion rates of above 60% every year since 2020 and collective passer ratings of at least 110.0 in three of those four campaigns, per Pro Football Reference.
However, Jackson remained capable of making big plays in big moments, registering 11 pass breakups, 5 interceptions and 2 forced fumbles over his final two seasons in Chicago.
Jackson’s knowledge of the game and his instinct for it have also served as educational tools for Bears safety Jaquan Brisker over his first two years in the NFL. Brisker has played in and started 30 games during that time and will now assume the sole leadership role in the Bears’ safety room.
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Bears Release 2 Former Pro Bowlers, $50 Million Starters Ahead of Free Agency