Tag: Jaquan Brisker

15 Most Impactful Bears of 2022: No. 7 Jaquan Brisker

Next up in our 15 Most Impactful Bears of 2022 is rookie Jaquan Brisker, who was the team’s most impactful rookie.

The Chicago Bears wrapped their 2022 season, where they finished 3-14 and lost their final 10 games of the year. But the future is bright heading into this 2023 offseason, as GM Ryan Poles has the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft, a boatload of salary cap space ($118 million) and a franchise quarterback in Justin Fields.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be counting down our 15 Most Impactful Bears for the 2022 season. We’ll recap their 2022 season and look ahead to how they factor into 2023.

Next up at No. 7 is safety Jaquan Brisker, who served as the perfect complement to Eddie Jackson and was Chicago’s most impactful rookie.

Bears 2022 End of Year Awards: Picking MVP, Breakout Player of the Year and more

As we look to close the page on the 2022 season, our Bears Wire staff share their picks for MVP, Comeback Player of the Year and more.

The Chicago Bears wrapped their 2022 season with a 3-14 record, which culminated in a 10-game losing streak.

While Chicago finished with the worst record in the league, there are reasons to be optimistic about the future. Not only do they have the No. 1 pick in the 2023 NFL draft and around $118 million in salary cap space, but they have their quarterback in Justin Fields.

As we look to close the page on the 2022 season, our Bears Wire staff share their picks for our End of Year Awards, including MVP, Offense and Defensive Players of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Comeback Player of the Year, Breakout Player of the Year and Most Disappointing Player.

3 Bears named to PFF’s All-Rookie Team

The Bears were well-represented on PFF’s All-Rookie Team in 2022.

Pro Football Focus unveiled their All-Rookie Team for the 2022 regular season. And while the Chicago Bears finished with the worst record in the league, they were well-represented on the list.

Which isn’t a surprise considering they led the NFL in rookie snaps by over 1,000.

The Bears had three rookies make the list: second-round safety Jaquan brisker, fifth-round left tackle Braxton Jones and undrafted linebacker Jack Sanborn.

Brisker made his presence clear pretty early on in the offseason, and it translated into on-field success. He entered his rookie season as the undisputed starter, and he proved throughout the year why. Brisker is a physical, instinctive safety that was always around the football. Oh, and he led the team in sacks (4.0).

Brisker always seemed to be around the ball for Chicago as a rookie. He finished his first season with 28 defensive stops, the 10th-most of any safety in the league. And he did it all from a number of alignments, with 371 snaps coming from the slot, 150 along the line of scrimmage, 289 deep and 100 from the slot.

Jones quickly worked his way up the depth chart in the offseason, where he established himself as the team’s best option at left tackle. While Jones was far from perfect — and still has plenty of work to do — he was one of the more reliable offensive linemen for Chicago this season.

One of the steals of the draft class so far. The Bears’ fifth-rounder did enough to put himself as their undisputed long-term starter at left tackle. He finished with a 79.4 run-blocking grade and a 70.5 pass-blocking grade on the season.

Then there’s Sanborn, an undrafted rookie who flashed during the preseason. When Roquan Smith was traded to the Ravens, Sanborn finally got his starting opportunity. And he never looked back. Sanborn was one of the most consistent players on defense, and he made a case to be a starter moving forward.

Sanborn was a revelation in his albeit brief stint as the starting linebacker for the Bears. In six games as a starter, he racked up 24 defensive stops. Extrapolate that to a full 17-game season, and it would have ranked second in the league. That’s quite the start of a career.

Bears general manager Ryan Poles said he wants to build through the NFL draft, and he’s off to a strong start. Brisker, Jones, Sanborn and even cornerback Kyler Gordon look to be building blocks for this team moving forward.

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Penn State among top schools for four-star safety in 2024

Class of 2024 four-star safety updates his top schools, and Penn State is in the running

Penn State is looking to get a nice jumpstart on the Class of 2024 as we begin to get to the final stretch of the Class of 2023 recruiting cycle. On Wednesday, the Nittany Lions received some good news with one potential target from the south as Penn State made the latest top schools cut for a four-star safety.

Fred Gaskin III, a four-star safety from Ocala, Florida shared his top eight schools on his Twitter account. In addition to Penn State, Gaskin included Michigan State, Tennessee, Auburn, Florida State, Ole Miss, Colorado, and Alabama in his list of top schools. Of those schools, Florida State could be considered a slight favorite with a pair of unofficial visits made during the 2022 season and being the only in-state program in the mix and coming off an encouraging season.

Penn State has had some good quality and depth in the secondary in recent years, but it will be in need of some help at the safety position soon. After losing [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag] to the draft last season, Penn State will be moving on without [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag], who is also heading to the NFL this year.

Gaskin is rated as a four-star recruit by 247Sports and Rivals. On3 ranks him as a three-star prospect.

It is still very early in the 2024 recruiting cycle, but Penn State is currently ranked no. 24 in the Class of 2024 team rankings according to 247Sports.

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Ji’Ayir Brown declares for 2023 NFL draft

As expected, Ji’Ayir Brown declared for the 2023 NFL draft.

In a move most expected, Penn State safety [autotag]Ji’Ayir Brown[/autotag] has announced he is heading to the NFL. Coming off a defensive MVP performance in the Rose Bowl, Brown took to Twitter to release a statement on Tuesday confirming his decision has been made. Brown will declare for the 2023 NFL draft to pursue his dream of playing at the next level.

“I will be pursuing my childhood dream of playing in the NFL and declaring for the 2023 NFL draft,” Brown announced in a lengthy statement that shared thanks and gratitude for his family, friends, coaches, and community that have helped support him through the years.

The journey of Ji’Ayir Brown is a well-documented one at this point. Brown was among the standouts to come to Penn State from Lackawanna Community College. the former JUCO standout took advantage of his opportunity at Penn State by becoming one of its top defensive playmakers with key interceptions and big tackles as his specialty.

Brown led Penn State in tackles and interceptions in the 2022 season. One of those interceptions came in the Rose Bowl, which saw him named the game’s defensive MVP.

Brown will head off to the NFL alongside one of his teammates in the secondary, [autotag]Joey Porter Jr.[/autotag] The two anchors in Penn State’s secondary will follow in the footsteps paved by their former teammate [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag], who was drafted by the Chicago Bears in the 2022 NFL draft.

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Bears DBs coach James Rowe is leaving for USF at the end of the season

James Rowe is leaving the Bears at the end of the season for USF, according to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin.

There is still one week to go in the regular season for the Chicago Bears, but their coaching staff is already undergoing changes. According to ESPN’s Courtney Cronin, Bears defensive backs coach James Rowe is leaving the team when the season concludes to become the passing coordinator at the University of South Florida (USF).

After one year as the Indianapolis Colts cornerbacks coach, Rowe followed Matt Eberflus when he became head coach of the Bears last offseason. Prior to his stint in Indianapolis, Rowe’s experience was primarily as a college coach, but he had a stint with the Washington Commanders from 2017-2019 as their assistant defensive backs coach.

In his lone season with the Bears, Rowe was tasked with helping a young secondary develop that included rookies Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker, as well as veterans Jaylon Johnson and Eddie Jackson. Under Rowe’s tutelage, the Bears secondary notched 10 interceptions and saw growth from Gordon and Brisker, while Jackson enjoyed a renaissance season prior to his season-ending injury.

Rowe, an alumni of South Florida, will be a part of new head coach Alex Golesh’s staff.

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Bears vs. Lions: Everything we know about Chicago’s blowout loss

Here is everything we know following the Bears 41-10 loss to the Detroit Lions.

The Chicago Bears started of 2023 with a dud of a performance. The Bears lost 41-10 to the Detroit Lions, their ninth loss in a row that sets a dubious franchise record. It was a game that saw Justin Fields run for over 100 yards in the first quarter, then proceed to get sacked seven times while the Lions ran all over the Bears defense to get an easy win in their quest to make the postseason.

It was easily the worst game of the 2022-2023 season for the Bears, who seemingly lacked effort and determination on both sides of the ball. With the season lost weeks ago, it was only a matter of time until they laid an egg. The Bears managed just 30 net passing yards, completing seven passes on the day. On defense, they allowed over 500 total yards and couldn’t stop Detroit’s offense.

Here is everything we know following Chicago’s Week 17 divisional loss.

20 most memorable moments that defined the Bears in 2022

From a regime change in January to trades in October, here are the 20 moments that defined the Bears in 2022.

2022 has been quite the year for the Chicago Bears. It began with sweeping changes to the front office in January, leading to a mass exodus of veterans in March, and ultimately resulting in a team that’s battling for the No. 1 overall draft pick by the end of December.

But while the Bears entered into a rebuild in 2022, they also saw the growth of quarterback Justin Fields, who became one of the most electric players in the league.

From free agency drama to training camp holdouts, here are the 20 moments that defined the Bears in chronological order.

Jaquan Brisker became third Bears defensive back to log four or more sacks in a season in effort vs. Bills

Brisker joined elite company with his sack of quarterback Josh Allen in the #Bears’ Week 16 loss to the #Bills

Rookie safety Jaquan Brisker has been a key contributor to the Chicago Bears’ defense in 2022 and made history for the franchise in their loss to the Buffalo Bills in Week 16. After sacking two-time Pro Bowl quarterback Josh Allen in the second quarter of the matchup, Brisker became just the third defensive back in Bears history to eclipse the four-sack mark in a single season.

The two other players who managed to meet this standard were Dave Duerson and Todd Bell, who managed to accumulate seven and four and a half sacks in 1986 and 1984 respectively.

Brisker tied defensive backs Derwin James and Donovan Wilson for the league lead in sacks among players at the position and moved to third place in his rookie class for pass rush production behind Detroit Lions’ stars Aidan Hutchinson and James Houston.

With these impressive numbers, Brisker is cementing himself as one of the best young safeties in the NFL, and a player that could become a cornerstone of the Bears’ defense moving forward. As the team looks to rebuild following their disappointing 2022 season, Brisker should see his role within the defense grow.

A former Penn State Nittany Lion, Brisker was a second-round selection by Chicago in April’s draft and made an immediate impact for the team as an early contributor in Week 1. His tenacious tackling ability and impressive speed made him a highly valuable prospect in this year’s draft class, and the Bears’ front office should see dividends paid for their investment in him for years to come.

Watch for Brisker to continue playing his patented brand of hard-nosed football from the safety position in the last two games of the 2022 season, and for the team to continue relying on his talent for more big plays as they try to salvage what they can of this latest failed campaign.

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Penn State in the NFL: Best photos from Week 16

Here are the best photos from the NFL’s Week 16 of former Penn State players.

The Christmas weekend in the NFL once again saw some big moments from some former Nittany Lions. Among the highlight of Week 16 of the NFL season was the first career start for former Penn State quarterback [autotag]Trace McSorley[/autotag], who started for the Arizona Cardinals on Christmas night. Unfortunately, it was a rough night for the former Penn State standout with a few turnovers and an overtime loss to Tampa Bay on Sunday night.

It was also a rough weekend for McSorley’s former teammate, running back [autotag]Miles Sanders[/autotag], who took the blame for a pair of fumbles in a loss to [autotag]Micah Parsons[/autotag] and the Dallas Cowboys as the Philadelphia Eagles failed to clinch homefield advantage throughout the NFC playoffs on the road on Christmas Eve.

But there were some bright spots for former Nittany Lions around the NFL with [autotag]Saquon Barkley[/autotag] doing his thing to give the New York Giants a shot on the road, [autotag]Jahan Dotson[/autotag] again coming up with some impressive catches in his rookie season with the Washington Commanders, and [autotag]Jaquan Brisker[/autotag] recording a sack for the Chicago Bears against the mighty Buffalo Bills.

Here is a look at some of the best photos from around the NFL in Week 16 of former Penn State stars.