Concussions Threaten Jaquan Brisker’s Promising NFL Career
Jaquan Brisker is 25 and already has a history of concussions. The trauma of from only two and a half seasons crashing into NFL ball-carriers and blockers threatens his long-term health. That's a frightening fact of life for him and the nature of the business for the Chicago Bears.
It took more than a month for Brisker to go on Injured Reserve from the effects of a tackle he made on Carolina tight end Tommy Tremble on Oct. 6, which was Week 5 of this season. But he hasn't played since and now must be out until at least Week 15.
Brisker did not go into the NFL's concussion protocol until the day after the 36-10 win over Carolina. He self-reported his concussion symptoms, which he had become familiar with from the first two years of his career.
Known for his physical play, Brisker played his way upward to the NFL. He played two years at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pa., before transferring to Penn State. His play there gave him his pick of major colleges and he chose Penn State, playing there three years, including one awarded to offset the damage done to the 2020 season from the coronavirus pandemic. The Bears selected him in the second round, with the 48th overall pick of the '22 draft.
Brisker's issues started when he got he went head-first into blocker MyCole Pruitt's back trying to tackle Atlanta quarterback Marcus Mariota in Week 11 of his rookie season. He finished the game but went into protocol the day after the game. He would miss two games then and another two games in concussion protocol in 2023, his second season.
The Bears' upcoming game against Green Bay will be the fifth he's missed this season. By the time he is eligible to be activated from IR, he will have 25 percent of games in his pro career (12 of 48) due to concussion.
That's a worse rate than Miami quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, whose concussion issues have been a major story. Tagovailoa has missed eight of 39 games since collapsing during a Thursday Night Football broadcast in 2022.
It's natural that Tagovailoa's situation would have received national scrutiny, as he's a star player who only last summer signed a four-year contract worth $212.4 million, with $167,171 guaranteed. Brisker is on the four-year, $7.36 million contract he was given after being drafted.
It has become unclear if Brisker will be able to continue his career into even the one year remaining on that contract. He would be an easy extension candidate without the concussion issue, as he was an immediate starter as a rookie and has been a big part of an impressive, young secondary.
Pro Football Focus' grades have Brisker listed 36th among 87 qualifying safeties this season, the third year in a row he's been at or above the midpoint for players at his position. He's a fierce tackler who can be used in blitz schemes, like Baltimore's Kyle Hamilton and Detroit's Brian Branch. But he's gotten the worst end of two many hits.
Brisker has had six career games in which he's been credited with double-figure combined tackles. Two of those games sent him into concussion protocol, and theis year's long absence began two weeks after a 12-tackle game against the Los Angeles Rams, in which he had a sack and an interception.
The Bears are thankful for another 2022 draft pick, University of California safety Elijah Hicks. He was selected 206 picks after Brisker but has been a solid replacement.
Hicks has played only 65 fewer snaps than Brisker this season, and has received a higher grade from PFF. He's listed 19th among 87 safeties, with higher grades than Brisker across the board. The one exception he's yet to be used on blitzes.
Veteran safety Kevin Byard, signed to a two-year, $15 million deal as a free agent last spring, is more than doing his part. He is listed ninth by the PFF graders, sandwiched between Denver's Brandon Jones and Philadelphia's Reed Blankenship.
The Bears are currently very thin at safety, however, as Jaylon Jones (an undrafted free agent in 2022) preceded Brisker onto IR with a shoulder injury. Jonathan Owens, who is married to Simone Biles, is a special teams player who has gotten only 12 snaps in the secondary in the first year of his two-year contract.
The Bears must compensate for Brisker's absence while helping him deal with the difficult health situation he faces. Life comes at you fast in the NFL.
