The Chicago Bears‘ defense has no business being as good as they are. They rank 11th in points allowed and are 9th against the pass. Don’t forget this team lost Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks, Danny Trevathan, and Eddie Goldman during the off-season. They also switch from a 3-4 system to a 4-3. By all rights, this defense should be struggling. Yet thanks to competent coaching and a roster that still has plenty of talents like Roquan Smith, Robert Quinn, and Jaylon Johnson? They’ve managed things pretty well. It also helps that they’ve gotten instant contributions from new arrivals. None bigger than Jaquan Brisker.
GM Ryan Poles had two players circled once the 2022 draft unfolded. One was cornerback Kyler Gordon, and the other was Brisker. Through some unlikely luck, he managed to land both. The young safety from Penn State not only claimed a starting job immediately, but he’s become a central component of their new defense. The NFL analytics experts over at Next Gen Stats love him too.
They ranked him as their ninth-best safety through the first three games.
“Play-time percentage: 100
Tackling score: 74
Coverage score: 87
Pass-rush score: 32
OVERALL SCORE: 84How are the Bears 2-1 despite only having completed 23 passes through three games (19 fewer than the next-closest team)? It’s all about the defense, and the addition of Brisker — a 2022 Next Gen Stats Draft Score “sleeper” — has been a major component of that. Brisker appeared on our rundown of the top-10 rookie debuts due to his pass-coverage prowess, and that trend has not slowed down by any means since then.
Only 30.0 percent of targets with Brisker as the nearest defender have been completed this season, the lowest rate among any player at any position with 10-plus targets. And even when the ball does get completed, Brisker’s sure tackling helps limit the big plays, as his 1.9 yards/target allowed as the nearest defender is tied for first (with Chargers CB Bryce Callahan) among all players with 10-plus targets.”
It will surprise some people that Eddie Jackson didn’t make the list at all. He has two interceptions and a forced fumble. He was an honorable mention. Still, Brisker’s sheer versatility is a driving force behind the Bears’ early success. One of those interceptions doesn’t happen without him jamming a tight end at the line of scrimmage, allowing Kindle Vildor to deflect the incoming pass into Jackson’s hands.
He also made a huge goal-line tackle in the second half to force a Houston field goal. Brisker does many of the small things right. That isn’t normal for somebody so inexperienced. It’s becoming easier to understand why the team was so excited to get him. They see a possible foundational piece for their long-term plans.
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Jaquan Brisker and Kyler Gordon are "ideal fits" for what the #Bears want to do, @MattBowen41 told @BernsyHolmes.
Listen to his full interview here: https://t.co/6bU4LwEgOd pic.twitter.com/kIUyUgMl3L
— 670 The Score (@670TheScore) September 29, 2022
Jaquan Brisker hasn’t even begun to realize his potential.
Young defensive backs usually don’t start maturing until their second season. If Brisker is playing like this already, it’s scary to think what he might become in 2023. By then, the Bears will be able to put more resources into the front seven, improving the defensive line to make his life easier. The young man himself already predicts he and Jackson will be the best safety duo in the NFL not too long from now. Nobody can say he lacks swagger.
The next step is producing more impact plays. Get in on the interception and forced fumble fun. It will be interesting to see if the Bears use him more as a blitzer. Jaquan Brisker was lethal at that during his time in college. Another reminder of how dangerous he is. There will likely be some hiccups during this season. Rookies still make rookie mistakes from time to time. One can imagine some of the top QBs he’ll face in the coming weeks will get him once or twice.
That is fine.
Expecting perfection from him is unreasonable. Brisker is already playing well above expectations. If he reaches the level of where Smith and Johnson are at, the Bears defense is in phenomenal shape for the future.
I’m not enough of a talent scout guy to know, but I wonder how that draft compares to the 23 draft as far a talent goes for DB v/s DL to draft? What I wonder is if these guys were focused on because of the availability in 2023. Poles seems crafty and forward-thinking to consider that.
Crazy good baller!
another player… contributing… to TEAM W’s!! I have to be honest, I was mad at him for the holdout(not signing his contract) but… not that’s not an issue I’m SUPER happy he’s a BEAR!
I was one of the fans that were happy to see Poles rebuild the secondary. The 2021 secondary was a joke and lost a lot of games for the Bears. Its much easier to win if the other team isnt scoring tochdowns from passes into the secondary.
“Brisker is already playing well above expectations. If he reaches the level of where Smith and Johnson are at, the Bears defense is in phenomenal shape for the future.” Can’t argue with that!