Should Chicago Bears sign Alohi Gilman to replace Eddie Jackson in free agency?
The Chicago Bears released Eddie Jackson to give him a head start on his new team. It leaves a hole that the team is going to have to fill for free safety. One name that could be worth signing in free agency is Los Angeles Chargers safety Alohi Gilman.
Should Chicago Bears sign Alohi Gilman to replace Eddie Jackson in free agency?
Gilman was a former sixth-round pick by the Chargers from Notre Dame in the 2020 NFL draft. Needless to say, he could get used to the Midwest weather. Gilman played sparingly as a rookie and mainly made a name on special teams.
In 2021, he only made a couple of starts, but played 355 snaps total, recoding his first interception. Injuries to the players around him in 2022 allowed him to finish the season as the starter. He started the final six games of the season, including the playoff loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In 2023, he came back as the unquestioned starter next to Derwin James. Overall, he has 1,902 snaps played with 1,264 as a free safety, 419 in the box, and 219 as a slot cornerback. Considering he has played with Derwin James during the majority of the past two seasons, he would be a great fit with Jaquan Brisker, a safety who does move around but primarily will play in the box.
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PFF has Gilman projected to sign a one-year, $2.7M deal in free agency. The Bears saved $12.5M in cap space by moving on from Jackson so they could give Gilman $3M next year and still save over $9M from what they would have paid Jackson. With that, they get the younger and healthier player who could be ascending up while Jackson is on the way down.
The fit makes sense, will the Chicago Bears sign Alohi Gilman in free agency this offseason?