Possible Eddie Jackson Replacement Available
The tag deadline came and went and some players who might be of interest to the Bears look to become free agents, barring a late contract signing before the March 13 start to the league year.
Players such as Tee Higgins, Brian Burns, Michael Pittman, Justin Madubuike and (defensive end) Josh Allen got tagged.
With defensive tackle Justin Jones, center Lucas Patrick, edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue and wide receiver Darnell Mooney all free agents and safety Eddie Jackson waived, the Bears could find someone among this list of players who were left unprotected.
S Xaiver McKinney, Giants
The 6-foot, 201-pound, four-year veteran gave up only one touchdown pass each of the last two seasons according to Sportradar. He has nine career interceptions, which is one Tless than Jackson had for his first four seasons. His passer rating against numbers have been outstanding throughout his career, at 69.8 last year and 65.4 as a rookie for six games. But he had a 72.2 in 2021 and 93.6 in 2022. Maybe the best think about McKinney's play has been his tackling. He has never been above 9.7% missed tackles. Jackson was only below 9.7 once. When Antoine Winfield was protected with a tag, this vaulted McKinney into prominence at the position among free agents.
And who better to replace Jackson than another Alabama defensive back?
He's Matt Bowen's 26th-ranked free agent overall for ESPN.
DT Chris Jones, Chiefs
If the Bears wanted to get into a bidding war with the Chiefs, they probably could and would win because they have tons more cash. Bringing in possibly the game's most highly regarded defensive lineman would be enticing, even if he is now in his 30s. Jones can rush from inside or out, but it's possible he's going to give hometown, ring-chasing discounts to the Chiefs. He already said at the trophy celebration that he wasn't going anywhere, but he hasn't been tagged so he's fair game.
DT Christian Wilkins, Dolphins
He's probably available only because the Dolphins have a bad cap situation and can't tag him. Coming off a nine-sack season, his career best, the 6-4, 310-pound sixth-year veteran also had a career high in quarterback hits (23) and pressures (30). His bests last year were so much better than previous attempts it almost makes you wonder if he had a career year and will fall back to the type of numbers he put up in 2021 and 2022. He has followed a career trajectory somewhat like Javon Hargrave, who had only once gone over 4 1/2 sacks in his first five years but has since put up 7 1/2, 11 and seven sacks the last three years to go with two Pro Bowls.
WR Calvin Ridley, Jaguars
Coming off his time away with a gambling suspension, Ridley made good on his return last year with 76 receptions for 1,016 yards and eight TDs. The gambling thing might scare teams off. Also, he had a career-worst 55.9% targets/catch ratio last year after missing all but five games in 2021 when he had a foot injury and then all of 2022 with a suspension.
Spotrac.com projects he'll get $17.5 million. Whether the Bears would be up for spending that kind of money at receiver when they have DJ Moore making about $16 million against the cap isn't certain.
RB Saquon Barkley, Giants
The Bears need a back but probably wouldn't be interested in spending the kind of money they would need to in order to bring in a runner as dynamic as Barkley, who is 27 years old. They definitely would find ways to make use of his running and receiving skills, though. There are plenty of backs of high quality in free agency to choose from and the lack of a market for any running backs these days could drive the price down to a point where the Bears feel comfortable bringing in a veteran. Tony Pollard, Derrick Henry, Josh Jacobs and Austin Ekeler are all going to be available in free agency, as well. But is it a worthwhile investment when they're really only looking for a third back because Khalil Herbert and Roschon Johnson are not poor running backs.
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