Bear Necessities: Jaquan Brisker dubbed Chicago’s unsung hero in 2022

This is our online morning newsletter, Bear Necessities — weekly offseason edition. Subscribe to get the latest Bears news delivered to your mailbox every day.

Bears safety Jaquan Brisker played a key role on defense as a rookie, where he helped shore up the defensive backfield alongside veteran Eddie Jackson.

Brisker moved all around on defense, whether that was in the box, battling slot receivers or blitzing. He led the team with 4.0 sacks and had the second-most tackles (104). Brisker was solid against the run and in coverage, although there’s plenty of improvement needed as a tackler.

NFL.com’s Nick Shook dubbed Brisker as the Bears’ unsung hero for the 2022 season, citing his production and potential as part of Chicago’s back end on defense.

I love what the Bears have in their secondary. Brisker and nickelback Kyler Gordon (Gordon was selected 39th overall and Brisker was drafted 48th, both in the second round) are talented defensive backs who beefed up Chicago’s back end and are primed to make plays for years to come. Brisker only finished with one interception to Gordon’s three, but anyone who watched the Bears on a weekly basis is well aware of the safety’s exciting potential. The team’s own site even named him Chicago’s Rookie of the Year. I agree with that designation, and I can’t wait to see how he develops.

Brisker served as the perfect complement to Jackson, who was able to go back to his natural free safety position and have a Pro Bowl-caliber season (before suffering a season-ending injury).

There’s no doubt that Brisker was general manager Ryan Poles’ best draft pick. The second-rounder out of Penn State established himself as a physical safety with all of the tools to be a defensive cornerstone for years to come.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbve7kb6he6scwe player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]