Jaquan Brisker suffered a concussion in early October against the Carolina Panthers. Most expected him to be sidelined for a week or two per the usual timeline for such injuries. Well, weeks turned into a month and the safety wasn’t making the kind of progress the Chicago Bears had hoped. Eventually, they decided to place Brisker on Injured Reserve, hoping a solid month of extra recovery time might help him turn the corner. The time was approaching for him to possibly make his long-awaited return. There is no question the defense has missed him.
Sadly, it appears that the dream is all but dead. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune made that clear in his latest column. Based on the information he has and how many games are left in the season, it is unlikely Brisker will suit up again this year.
At this point, with three games remaining and the quick turnaround next week when the Bears play on Thursday, Dec. 26, I do not believe we will see Brisker on the field again this season. The team has yet to open the return to practice window for the strong safety and given the amount of time he’s missed, my hunch is it would take a couple weeks of practice in order for him to get back up to speed.
It is hard not to question what future Jaquan Brisker has.
Missing most of the year with a knee injury or something similar would be one thing. There is a clear path to recovery from those. Head injuries are so difficult to predict. Some players make a full recovery, but others are never quite the same. Concussions are a scary injury these days with growing information on their effect, especially if you’ve suffered them multiple times like Jaquan Brisker has. You have to wonder if he may choose to retire rather than risk further injuries and damaging his long-term health.
Only Brisker can answer that question. The timing of this is difficult for the Bears since next season will be the last of his rookie contract. They’d no doubt hoped to know if he would be an extension nominee. Now, they may have to start thinking about life after him. One can only hope he managed to return with a clean bill of health next season.
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