Bears Release Eddie Jackson, Cody Whitehair; CHI Frees Up $21.7M in Salary Cap Space

The Chicago Bears' revamp for the 2024 season took a significant step Thursday.

Chicago announced it released safety Eddie Jackson and offensive lineman Cody Whitehair, who were both primary contributors in recent years. The decisions clear the way for potential future moves, as Michael Ginnitti of Spotrac noted the NFC North team created an additional $21.7 million in cap space before the new league year begins.

The Bears thanked both players upon their releases:

There was a time when Jackson was one of the foundational pieces of the team's defense.

He entered the league as a fourth-round draft pick in 2017 and was a Pro Bowler in his second and third seasons. He was also a First Team All-Pro selection in that second campaign when he tallied 51 tackles, 15 passes defended, six interceptions, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and three defensive touchdowns.

However, Jackson has been unable to replicate that type of impact of late and missed 10 total games during the 2022 and 2023 campaigns. He finished this past season with 37 tackles, five passes defended and one interception.

Pro Football Focus gave him a mediocre player grade of 58.6.

As for Whitehair, he too was a Pro Bowler during the 2018 season when the Bears were NFC North champions. The 2016 second-round pick appeared in 124 total games for Chicago over the past eight years and was versatile enough to play center and guard when needed.

However, he will be 32 years old during the 2024 season and struggled in 2023 with a PFF grade of 45.0.

The Bears surely have playoff expectations going into the upcoming season after improving from three wins in 2022 to seven wins in 2023. Quarterback is the biggest question mark of the offseason as the front office will decide between keeping Justin Fields or perhaps selecting USC's Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick, but the roster needs to be improved in multiple areas to reach the postseason.

Moving on from Jackson and Whitehair will help Chicago take some of those necessary strides, especially if the front office uses the money it saved against the cap with these moves to bolster the offensive line and defensive backfield with younger and more talented options.