Eddie Jackson Solidifies Ravens Secondary as One of NFL’s Best

On Friday, reports surfaced that two-time Pro Bowl safety Eddie Jackson agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Ravens after visiting the team on Wednesday. ML Football had previously reported on X that it was “highly unlikely” that Jackson left Baltimore without a contract, and, sure enough, he’s a Raven.

While the financials of the deal have yet to be released, I absolutely love what this move means for the secondary. This team had a clear need for a third safety following the departure of Geno Stone in free agency, and the front office was able to fill that need with a star-caliber player… and one that might not carry a huge cap number, either. I’d even go as far as to say that this move is just what the doctor ordered. In fact, it could be the one that pushes the Ravens over the top in 2024.

Again, while the details of the deal haven’t been made public, I can’t imagine that it was overly expensive. Former All Pro and three-time Pro Bowler Jamal Adams signed with the Titans this week on a surprisingly meager one-year, $1.29M deal, and the Ravens only had about $6M in cap space. Plus, seeing that Jackson was available this late into the offseason tells you that there wasn’t exactly a hot market for him.

However, that doesn’t mean that the safety isn’t a desirable player. While Jackson only picked off one pass in 2023 across 12 games, he’s only one year removed from a Pro Bowl 2022 campaign that saw him nab four interceptions and force a pair of fumbles. That year, he allowed a passer rating of just 66.4 in coverage and made 80 total tackles. And that was when he was the top dog in the secondary out in Chicago.

2018 Eddie Jackson will never be forgotten pic.twitter.com/MHdumM3658 https://t.co/R58wq3dUoy

— ASAD (@no_mo17) July 19, 2024

In Baltimore, however, Jackson joins a back end that’s absolutely loaded with talent, including All Pro Kyle Hamilton. Now that the 30-year-old isn’t the primary safety, he’ll be freed up to take on more specialized tasks that maximize his impact. I do have some durability concerns with him (he last played a full season in 2020), but his presumably limited snap count with the Ravens helps ease my mind.

In short, the addition of Eddie Jackson solidifies Baltimore’s starting secondary as being one of the best in the game.

Yet, I can’t help but wonder what this move means for the future.

Previously, the competition for the third safety spot was between Ar’Darius Washington and rookies Sanoussi Kane (7^th round, Purdue) and Beau Brade (UDFA, Maryland), with Washington expected to slot into that role. The former undrafted free agent out of TCU has supposedly had a great offseason, with head coach John Harbaugh going as far as to say, “Ar’Darius has looked really good… He’s looked great in practice, and let’s get out there and get him into some more games. That’s the goal.”

Of course, this might just be a classic Harbaugh-ism, meaning that the quote says a hot load of nothing. But, seeing that the statement aligns with positive reports out of minicamp from the front office and writers alike, I really do believe that Washington has exhibited a decent amount of growth this offseason. I think he can crack the roster as a fourth safety and see increased playing time as the year goes on, hopefully setting him up to be the third guy in 2025.

However, that also means that Kane and/or Brade will probably be practice squad guys in 2024… if they play in the NFL at all. Brade was recently selected by the San Antonio Brahmas in the UFL draft, and he may view the spring league as a better opportunity for him to showcase his talents to NFL execs. Kane will most likely spend the year on the practice squad – that is, if another team doesn’t claim him. He’s a talented guy, so it’s obviously in the team’s best interest for him to stick around. However, it’s not guaranteed that he’ll remain a Raven. If another organization swoops in and picks him up, Eric DeCosta might be forced to draft another safety next year.

Depth chart questions aside, however, Eddie Jackson is an incredible pickup for this squad. His impact won’t just be felt on the stat sheet, although he does figure to snag a couple of interceptions. Rather, he frees up Hamilton to play all over the field and really softens the loss of Geno Stone. In fact, I’d argue that this unit is even better than it was last year, which is saying a lot because the safety room was so good in 2023.

I’m absolutely thrilled about the Jackson signing.

It’s just what the doctor ordered.

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