4 reasons Chicago Bears signing Kevin Byrard is an upgrade from Eddie Jackson
1. Kevin Byrard could bring more versatility to the Chicago Bears
When the Chicago Bears signed Byad, they added a free safety who matches the strong safety skill set that Jaquan Brisker offers. However, while Jackson was more specifically a free safety, Byard brings more versatility.
Last year, Byard played 48.2% of his snaps as a traditional free safety. He played 15.3% in the slot and 32.4% in the box. Eddie Jackson played 76.5% as a deep safety last year, with just 10.8% of his snaps coming in the slot and 9% in the box.
For their careers, Byard has a 46.4% deep safety rate, with 19.7% in the slot, and 31.8% in the box. For comparison, Jackson is at 58.6% deep for his career, with 15.9% in the slot, and 22.9% of his snaps in the box. Byard does more.
The Chicago Bears have wanted to be more versatile with their safety looks, but Jackson prevents that. They will still have their traditional FS in Byard, but they will be different in their looks and it will be a valuable addition to the Bears' back end.