Jaquan Brisker joined the Chicago Bears at a time when the team hit the reset button. GM Ryan Poles unloaded every bloated contract and aging veteran he could. The message was clear from the outset. He intended to stockpile resources and rebuild this thing from the ground up. Brisker became one of his first draft picks, and somebody he hopes becomes a primary locker room presence. All signs point to the safety already establishing himself in a leadership role, aided by his standout rookie season.
Yet it was clear the culture Poles wanted to build would take time. The locker room last season was littered with too many players that weren’t part of the long-term picture for the Bears. That led to a lot of uncertainty and lacking confidence about the team’s direction. According to Josh Shrock of NBC Sports Chicago and others, the vibe at Halas Hall has changed drastically over the past five months.
I’ve covered the 49ers, Raiders, and Patriots. There’s a different aura around a team with guys whose peers describe them as “dudes.” Deebo Samuel, George Kittle, Rob Gronkowski, Fred Warner, and, yes, Antonio Brown come to mind.
The Bears had zero of that last year. There’s an argument to be made that Fields will be knocking on that door come season’s end if certain checkpoints are reached.
For now, Moore and Edmunds serve as two pieces creating the changing of the tides. Gravitational forces that can bring everyone along with them and be the building blocks for what comes next.
D.J. Moore and Tremaine Edmunds, the Bears’ two biggest veteran additions, have already made their presences felt in practice. It seems to have created an air of optimism, showing in how everybody operates on the field. Brisker confirmed this on Twitter.
Jaquan Brisker is leading a new generation of Bears.
The team has transformed in the past two off-seasons. Poles unloaded an older generation of players that had their chance to seize immortality. They came close, looking like Super Bowl contenders in 2018. Sadly, it never came together. Bad roster moves following that season led to the team’s demise. Now a new regime is trying to build this in a different way. Poles is focused on stockpiling young, cheap talent via the draft while adding proven commodities on the younger side via free agency and trades.
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Moore and Edmunds aren’t the only examples. Jaquan Brisker is another. He, Kyler Gordon, and Braxton Jones flashed loads of potential as rookies. First round pick Darnell Wright looks like a plug-and-play starter at right tackle. Justin Fields took a big step forward in his development last year. It isn’t hard to understand why players feel this team is pointed in the right direction. They might not be ready for prime time yet, but there is no reason to think they won’t win more games this season.
I agree GrinBearIt, most pundits don’t know shit and don’t do their homework when making predictions about a team’s record before each season. Every year there are teams who make the playoffs who didn’t the year prior. If the BEARS stay healthy, they have the talent to be a playoff team. The D will be greatly improved because of Edmunds AND Edwards and the guys they brought in thru FA and the draft. I see Edmunds and Edwards reminding us of Urlacher and Briggs! Fields is going to take a big step forward now that he has a solid O… Read more »
Eddie Jackson is the guy helping these safeties out. Ask Brisker
Guys like Montgomery, RoQuan, Mack ect, all were treated very well in the end. If we had kept them; the rest of the team would still not be ready before the vets hit the end of prime. As it ended they all went to Contenders while in their own prime which was best for the pllayer.
I am so tired of reading/hearing about how the Bears may not be ready for prime time yet, but….
Says who? Not one national or local analyst knows what they are going to do this upcoming season.