Should the Eagles reunite Eddie Jackson with Vic Fangio?

Philly seems like a logical landing spot for the two-time Pro Bowler.

Now that the Super Bowl is over, cap casualty season has begun. That means “Should the Eagles sign [literally any player I’ve remotely heard of before]?!” has also kicked into gear.

Of note, the Chicago Bears decided to shed some salary on Thursday by officially releasing veteran safety Eddie Jackson and offensive lineman Cody Whitehair.

Jackson, who turned 30 in December, actually seems like a realistic possibility for the Birds. The 2017 fourth-round pick was drafted when new Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio was still the Bears’ DC. They spent two seasons in Chicago together before Fangio became the Denver Broncos’ head coach. (Side note: Jackson also overlapped with Eagles assistant special teams coach Joe Pannunzio for two years at Alabama.)

Playing for Fangio, Jackson made one of two career Pro Bowl appearances and earned his only first-team All-Pro recognition. He had eight interceptions in two years with Fangio and then just seven in his next five seasons combined.

So, can reuniting with Fangio help Jackson thrive again? Our friends over at Windy City Gridiron suggest that the veteran safety still has some gas left in the tank:

Jackson, a fourth-round pick in 2017, became an instant starter and electric player in the secondary for the Bears. He started exactly 100 games for Chicago, notching 15 interceptions, 10 forced fumbles and six touchdowns.

Jackson was a two-time Pro-Bowler and one-time first-team All-Pro. He was one of the most obvious cap casualties, saving the team over $12 million while carrying a dead cap hit of just $5.5 million, according to Spotrac.

His play hasn’t fallen off quite as much, although the ball production hasn’t been what it was earlier in his career, but his tackling was never a strong suit and definitely didn’t fit the mold that Matt Eberflus would want.

Poor tackling has indeed been an issue for Jackson, who is relatively undersized for his position. He actually turned in the worst missed tackle percentage of his career last year, according to Pro Football Reference.

But if Jackson wasn’t flawed at all, he wouldn’t be hitting the open market. The Eagles might be willing to live with his deficiencies if they feel like they can be a net positive under Fangio. There’s no denying Jackson has been a playmaker in the past.

The Eagles potentially have a need at safety with Kevin Byard widely expected to be a salary cap casualty. Cutting him clears over $13 million in cap space with just $1.386 million left in dead money.

Signing Jackson would give the Eagles a sure-fire short-term starter next to Reed Blankenship. The only other safety the team has under contract for 2024 is Sydney Brown, who is recovering from an ACL injury that might linger into next season.