When the Chicago Bears selected Jaquan Brisker in the 2nd round of the 2022 draft, he made a bold claim when they called to give him the news. “You just got the steal of the draft.” It was a window into the young safety’s self-confidence. He believes there is nothing he can’t do on a football field. Stop the run? Sure. Tackle in space? No problem. Snag an interception from an unaware quarterback? You bet. Brisker has established himself as one of the most versatile safeties in the NFL.
The problem is he isn’t getting any recognition for it. That was never clearer than this past week when he wasn’t voted NFC Defensive Player of the Week.
One can understand Brisker’s frustration. His performance last Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams was a masterclass. He had 12 tackles, a sack to force a field goal, a pass defense, and the game-winning interception. Nobody had a greater impact on the Bears’ win than he did. Yet to not get even a minor acknowledgment from the NFL must be frustrating. No doubt, Brisker aims to use it as motivation.
Jaquan Brisker is a man on a mission this year.
Part of the problem for the young safety is he hasn’t had standout production in the form of turnovers. He has three career interceptions to this point. The media always loves to focus on guys who produce highlights, not ones willing to do the dirty work. One also must point out he has played on some bad teams during his career to this point. People don’t focus on losing teams when searching for standout players, even if that isn’t fair. However, as the Bears appear to be turning the corner, that should change.
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If anything, Jaquan Brisker being angry about personal slights is good for the team. It means he will bring his best on Sundays. The defense is always at its best when he’s flying around the field. His versatility is something head coach Matt Eberflus has continued to exploit. Don’t forget he sits in year three of his rookie contract, meaning extension time is coming up. The better he plays, the greater his bargaining power will be going into next off-season.
He sounds sort of petty, but not Tom Petty.
He’s coming I to his own this season. It’s all up from here. Poles will lock him up for the near future next off season if not sooner.
That was my guess. He has a fair gripe about last week. While I like Jaquan, I think he has been an average NFL safety up until this point. Where would you rank him amongst Bears safeties of the last 25 years? Immediately, I put Mike Brown and BoJak above him.