The Chicago Bears had two names circled almost from the moment the 2nd round of the draft began. Videos show GM Ryan Poles discussing it on the phones. One name was cornerback Kyler Gordon out of Washington, and the other was safety Jaquan Brisker out of Penn State. If they were lucky, the Bears could snag one of them at 39th overall. Both were available when the time came. Poles went with Gordon. It’s hard to imagine how excited he must’ve been when the Bears came up again at 48th overall and Brisker was still there.
The team felt they’d added two instant impact players to their defense. Once training camp and the preseason followed, it was apparent immediately that Brisker was something special. He was a problem every time the ball was snapped. That held true in the opener against San Francisco, where he had a fumble recovery and a big tackle for loss at the goal line that prevented a 49ers touchdown. Two men that weren’t surprised were draft experts Andy Staples and Dane Brugler of The Athletic. Both have sky-high opinions of Brisker. One of them even did a significant name-drop in comparison.
“Staples: Brisker’s one of those guys that if you were in youth football this kid would play every position. Wherever you needed him that game, you’d put him (there). I love players like that. Derwin James was like that.
Brugler: And he was blitzing for the Chargers on Sunday. Safeties that can do everything have a spot in the heart of defensive coordinators around the league, no doubt.
Staples: Yeah, and that’s what I love about Brisker. I’m very excited to see him show up and do the same things.”
The Chicago Bears can only hope they’re right.
Derwin James is one of the NFL’s three or four best safeties. He is already a two-time Pro Bowler since going 17th overall in 2018. In the two full seasons he’s played, he has five interceptions, 5.5 sacks, and 123 tackles. It doesn’t matter where the Los Angeles Chargers line him up. Opponents must make sure where he is before each snap because he can ruin their day in a hurry with his playmaking skills. It isn’t hard to see the similarities in Brisker.
He’s not quite as big as James, but he’s well-built. The guy hits like a tank when he wants to. That makes it easy to forget he is also fast. Don’t ignore him in the passing game because he covers lots of ground in a hurry. Throw in some rare instincts, and you get a rookie that already operates like a ten-year veteran. If Staples and Brugler are right and Brisker is anywhere close to James, the Chicago Bears defense has another star on its hands.
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So he’s gonna be hurt every year?
If Brisker can stay healthy and if he plays well enough we could have a DROTY type player in him