Chicago Bears’ Eddie Jackson getting a Hall of Fame mentor?

Could Ed Reed be joining Chuck Pagano’s staff?

Chuck Pagano has come aboard as the Chicago Bears next defensive coordinator after Vic Fangio was named head coach of the Denver Broncos.

Pagano spent six seasons as the Indianapolis Colts head coach and was sprung into that position after a season as the Baltimore Ravens’ defensive coordinator where he led the Ravens to the best defense in the NFL.

It’s Pagano’s time in Baltimore (and one previous stop) that becomes interesting for this particular article.

We know how great Eddie Jackson became this season, arguably one of the top defenders in the entire NFL. How great could he become? It certainly couldn’t hurt if he was mentored by arguably the greatest safety in the history of the NFL: Ed Reed.

Prior to Pagano being the Ravens’ defensive coordinator, he was the Ravens secondary coach for three seasons. Reed and Pagano worked closely together in Baltimore. But it was even before that, when Reed was at the University of Miami and Pagano was the DBs coach at “The U” when Reed was a student when he became a huge fan of Pagano as he told Dan Pompei of The Athletic.

"He had a great impact on me. He was like a father figure. When we had free time, Chuck would have the DBs come over to his house. His wife Tina was like a mom to me when I was in school. I’d go over there, wash my clothes, get something to eat and talk about things in life. Chuck was a teacher of professionalism. At that stage of my life in college, to learn that was key for me. He was a big part of me getting to where I got, my maturation as a man."

Reed has started dabbling in coaching and is currently working with Pagano on another coaching project. As someone who has that much reverence for his former coach, would he want to join his coaching staff in Chicago? This is directly from Pompei’s article:

"Reed said he would welcome an offer from the Bears.“I’m a huge fan of Eddie Jackson’s,” Reed said. “He was my guy this year. (Kyle) Fuller over there, Khalil Mack. That was my favorite defense. I thought they’d still be trucking along right now. I love Chicago. I have some family out there and some Miami alumni I’m close with. There is a connection there.”There undoubtedly is a long line of associates who would embrace the chance to work with Pagano again."

With that much of a connection there and an incredible opportunity to mentor Eddie Jackson, it makes too much sense. Look for Reed to join Pagano’s staff in some type of capacity.