This offseason, one of the top priorities for the Chicago Bears has to be finding a starting safety to take over the vacancy left by Eddie Jackson's release.
Speaking of Jackson's release, there have been a chunk of veteran safeties let go from their respective teams as of late. And, that could work out well for the Bears with free agency kicking off next week.
There are a ton of names available at the position, especially with multiple teams releasing some notable players recently. Here are a few of the top guys the Bears could target:
Jamal Adams
Jamal Adams was one of two Seattle safeties cut, and even though he's more of a strong safety, he's worth mentioning. He and Jaquan Brisker are both similar players in that they love being active around the line of scrimmage, they're hard hitters and they do their fair share of talking. Adams is still only 28 years old and is a 3-time Pro Bowler.
Justin Simmons
The Broncos cut Justin Simmons as just one more move to headline their bizarre offseason. Simmons is 30 years old and coming off his second career Pro Bowl, but Denver is headed in a different direction as they look toward completely rebuilding.
Quandre Diggs
The other Seattle safety out of a job is Adams' former running mate, Quandre Diggs. The 31-year-old is familiar with Chicago as he spent his first four and a half years with the Detroit Lions. Diggs made three-straight Pro Bowls from 2020-2023 where he totaled 14 interceptions and 24 pass breakups. He'd be the more ideal fit as a free safety in Chicago.
Jordan Poyer
Buffalo Bills fans had a tough pill to swallow when they heard about Jordan Poyer being released. The veteran spent his last seven years with Buffalo and was a fan favorite for a very long time. The Bills defense was always a different unit without Poyer on the field, so they'll have a huge hole to fill. Set to turn 33 years old in April, Poyer is coming up toward the end of his career, but is still a top-tier safety in this league.
Xavier McKinney
Finally, we come to a guy many Bears fans believe to be their favorite safety to target in Alabama product Xavier McKinney. The New York Giants chose not to give him the franchise tag, and McKinney has quietly become one of the better, young safeties in the game today. At just 24 years old and coming off a season-high 119 total tackles and 11 pass breakups, McKinney might be one of the best signings the Bears could make, regardless of position.