Chicago Bears: 5 Strong safeties to target in 2020 NFL free agency

1. Tony Jefferson (Age: 28)

Tony Jefferson is used to working hard to prove the doubters wrong. He was the Big 12’s Defensive Freshman of the Year award winner and had a very good career at Oklahoma. Despite that, he went undrafted (even though he had a Day 2 projection).

He took that in stride and signed with the Arizona Cardinals. There he worked his way from a player who had to fight for a spot on the team to become a starter. He kept working hard and when he became a free agent in 2017 his hard work resulted in a 4-year, $34 million deal with the Baltimore Ravens.

In his first two seasons in Baltimore Jefferson again worked hard and played well. He recorded a combined 153 tackles (13 for loss), 8 passes defended, 2 interceptions, 2 forced fumbles, and 3.5 sacks. He was among the better safeties in the league. Not only that, but he also did it playing multiple positions. He played both safety positions and linebacker.

A knee injury ended his 2019 season after just five games. Eventually, it cost him his time in Baltimore. He is once again a free agent and has to work hard to prove the doubters wrong.

There won’t be a big market for Jefferson. Teams will shy away from his injury (ACL). Chicago Bears general manager Ryan Pace showed with Jackson and wide receiver Allen Robinson that he’ll look at the medical reports and take a chance on players. Those two players are key members of the team now. The same could happen with Jefferson.

Jackson and Jefferson would make a great duo. They are both hard workers with high football IQ. Both are players who came from tough times to persevere and come out on top. You cannot underestimate how great a defense can be when the players are not only great players but also hard workers. When you have that the sky’s the limit.