Baltimore Ravens have signed safety Eddie Jackson to a one-year contract.
BALTIMORE, Md. – It was reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter that the Baltimore Ravens have reached an agreement with two-time Pro Bowler and All-Pro safety, Eddie Jackson, on a one-year deal. He will join a Ravens defense that led the NFL in takeaways last season. Let’s break down what the move means for Baltimore, and what it means for Jackson as the Ravens add a key defensive piece one day before the official start of training camp.
A Ravens-type move: Two-time Pro-Bowl safety Eddie Jackson reached agreement today with Baltimore on a one-year deal, per sources. A safety with six defensive TDs for the Bears now will bring his talents to Baltimore. pic.twitter.com/YEacDMkf9c
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) July 19, 2024
What it Means for the Ravens
This was a great signing from Baltimore. While a 30-year old Jackson hasn’t been an All-Pro in six years, he can make a tremendous impact in Charm City. He appears to come in and replace Geno Stone, the Ravens interception leader in 2023 that left for Cincinnati. And at his age, his role in Baltimore will be much better for him than what his role was in Chicago. With the Ravens, Jackson will be able to play more nickelback and take less of a responsibility as a safety.
And that is huge for his health. Jackson has played just 12 games in each of the last two seasons and 14 in 2021. So if Jackson is not as demanded to perform in the Ravens secondary, he could make a larger impact towards the end of the season. In 2023, Jackson totaled 37 tackles with an interception in 12 games with the Bears. The year before he had four interceptions, and he’s forced 25 turnovers across his seven seasons in the league.
Eddie Jackson brings a lot to the table:
• 8-year vet, 30 years old
• 2 Pro Bowls, 1 All-Pro
• 15 career interceptions
• Can play both FS & SS
• Suffered Lisfranc injury in 2022
• Projected No. 3 safety in Baltimore
• Former Roquan Smith Bears teammateA savvy pick-up… pic.twitter.com/QrOu7Ood4k
— Sarah Ellison (@sgellison) July 19, 2024
Jackson will join one of the best secondaries in all of football. The Ravens were third in the NFL in interceptions last season, and seventh in opponent completion percentage. Jackson is a takeaway machine, so adding him to a team that forced more turnovers than any other team last year is a scary pairing for the rest of the league. Plus, adding him to a secondary that already has Marlon Humphrey, Kyle Hamilton and others.
The Ravens should have one of the top secondaries in the league.
SS: Kyle Hamilton
FS: Marcus Williams
S: Eddie JacksonCB: Marlon Humphrey
CB: Brandon Stephens
CB: Nate Wiggins— Jamison Hensley (@jamisonhensley) July 19, 2024
Another element to this is Marcus Williams. The Ravens signed him to a five-year, $70 million deal which still has three years remaining on it. And as good as he was in 2022, he’s also played just 21 out of 34 games in two seasons, while often times finding himself on the bench behind Hamilton and Stone last season. If Jackson is impactful, it could show Baltimore that there is an easy and cheap replacement for Williams, and that maybe he’s not the right fit next to Hamilton long term.
Nonetheless, a very good move from Baltimore. They’ve done this before: adding a very good, experienced veteran right around training camp to bolster their defense. It worked with Jason Pierre-Paul in 2022 and it especially worked with Jadeveon Clowney last year. Maybe it will pay off again.
What it Means for Jackson
He’s not done yet! Eddie Jackson has suffered from injuries the past few seasons, definitely speeding up his regression from his 2018 self. However, this contract shows he has another chance. This is great for him as a player, giving him another opportunity to play at a high level with a team that will respect him, take his expertise, and enjoy his abilities on the field.
This also now gives him a chance to contend for a championship. With Chicago, Jackson only made the postseason twice in his seven years and didn’t win a game there. A lot of that was due to Chicago’s lack of offensive talent.
In Baltimore, he is joining a defense that has some of the best stars in the game. (Three All-Pro’s from last season). And on the other side, the offense has the reigning MVP, Lamar Jackson, Mark Andrews, and Derrick Henry. In his eight season, the former Bear puts himself in a position to finally capture a Super Bowl title.
The Ravens veterans are set to report to training camp on July 20.
Chase Coburn
Chase Coburn is an aspiring sports reporter and journalist who's already achieved some great things in the industry. At just 13 years old, Chase has already started his own podcast, interviewing celebrities such as ESPN's Adam Schefter, Baltimore Ravens' Justin Madubuike, ESPN's Dan Graziano, and many others. Chase is even experienced in writing for his websites, chasessportsnews.com & chasecoburn.substack.com. He runs his schools broadcast department, and is also a freelance writer for The League Winners, covering Ravens football and UConn football.Chase, who resides in Fairfield, CT, hopes to continue his dream as a broadcaster, and inspire others to CHASE their dreams like he has.