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Jaquan Brisker

Jaquan Brisker
refer to caption
Brisker with Penn State in 2021
No. 9 – Chicago Bears
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born: (1999-04-20) April 20, 1999 (age 26)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:204 lb (93 kg)
Career information
High school:Gateway (Monroeville, Pennsylvania)
College:
NFL draft:2022: 2nd round, 48th pick
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2024
Total tackles:249
Sacks:6.0
Forced fumbles:4
Fumble recoveries:2
Pass deflections:13
Interceptions:3
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Jaquan Monte Brisker (born April 20, 1999) is an American professional football safety for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Lackawanna Panthers and Penn State Nittany Lions prior to being selected by the Bears 48th overall in the 2022 NFL draft.

Early life

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Brisker grew up in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and attended Gateway High School in Monroeville, Pennsylvania, where he played basketball and football.[1]

Brisker was initially recruited by several major college football programs until it became apparent that he would be academically ineligible to play NCAA Division I football due to a low SAT score.[2] He instead enrolled at Lackawanna College in Scranton, Pennsylvania over offers from Youngstown State, Toledo, and California University of Pennsylvania.[3]

College career

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Lackawanna College

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Brisker began his collegiate career at Lackawanna College.[4] After his freshman season, Brisker committed to transfer to Penn State over offers from Alabama, Ole Miss, Maryland, Mississippi State, Pittsburgh, Utah, and West Virginia.[5] As a sophomore, he had 64 tackles, 17 tackles for loss, and nine sacks with five passes broken up, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.[6]

Penn State

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In his first season at Penn State in 2019, Brisker played in 13 games and finished the year with 32 tackles, two interceptions, and three pass breakups.[7]

He was named a starter going into his senior season in 2020 and was named third-team All-Big Ten after recording 57 tackles, four passes broken up, and one interception.[8]

Brisker decided to utilize the extra year of eligibility granted to college athletes who played in the 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic and return to Penn State in 2021.[9] During the 2021 season, Brisker was voted as a team captain while tallying 64 total tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, two interceptions, five passes broken up, and a fumble recovery. On December 28, 2021, Brisker announced he would be skipping the 2022 Outback Bowl and declared for the 2022 NFL draft.[10] He was voted as a second-team All-American, first-team All-Big Ten, and accepted an invite to the Senior Bowl (later electing to opt-out).[11][12]

College statistics

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Season GP Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
Solo Ast Cmb TFL Sck Int Yds Avg TD PD FR FF TD
Lackawanna College Falcons
2017 9 30 24 54 4.5 0.0 4 179 44.8 2 4 1 1 0
2018 10 54 11 65 17.0 9.0 0 0 0.0 0 5 1 2 1
Penn State Nittany Lions
2019 13 15 17 32 1.0 0.0 2 33 16.5 0 5 0 0 0
2020 9 33 24 57 3.0 0.0 1 18 18.0 0 7 0 0 0
2021 12 38 26 64 6.0 0.0 2 39 19.5 0 7 0 1 0
Career 53 170 102 272 31.5 9.0 9 269 29.9 2 28 2 4 1

Professional career

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Pre-draft

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NFL draft analysts and scouts projected that Brisker would be selected in the second round or possibly in the third round.[13] Cory Giddings of Bleacher Report ranked him as the second best safety prospect (31st overall) in the draft.[14] Kevin Hanson of Sports Illustrated ranked Brisker as the third best safety prospect available in the draft.[15] NFL media analyst Daniel Jeremiah had him ranked fifth among safety prospects (53rd overall) in the draft.[16] Zach Patraw of Sports Illustrated had him ranked seventh among all safeties in the draft.[17]

External videos
video icon Jaquan Brisker's College Highlights
video icon Jaquan Brisker: NFL Scouting Combine
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 1+3⁄8 in
(1.86 m) 		199 lb
(90 kg) 		31+3⁄4 in
(0.81 m) 		9+7⁄8 in
(0.25 m)		 4.45 s 1.57 s 2.52 s 4.19 s 6.91 s 38.5 in
(0.98 m)		 10 ft 4 in
(3.15 m)		 22 reps
All values from NFL Combine/Pro Day[18][19]

2022

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The Chicago Bears selected Brisker in the second round (48th overall) of the 2022 NFL draft. He was the fifth safety drafted.[20] The Chicago Bears had previously acquired this pick as part of a trade for Khalil Mack with the Los Angeles Chargers and in return received the 2022 second-round pick (48th overall) and a 2023 sixth-round pick (200th overall).[21] He was the first of two safeties the Bears drafted in 2022, along with seventh round pick (254th overall) Elijah Hicks.

External videos
video icon Bears select Jaquan Brisker No. 48
video icon Poles and Eberflus call Jaquan Brisker

"You're talking about a big guy that's physical. We like his toughness. We like his ball skills … [He's] got speed, range, ball skills, plus he brings the physical side of the game that we like. With 'Flus' and his defense wanting to be a physical team, [Brisker] also brings that aspect of it, too."[22]

–Chris Prescott (Bears' Area Scout)

On July 26, 2022, the Chicago Bears signed Brisker to a four–year, $7.35 million rookie contract that includes $3.56 million guaranteed and an initial signing bonus of $2.52 million.[23]

He entered training camp projected to be the starting strong safety and had minor competition for the role from DeAndre Houston-Carson following the departure of Tashaun Gipson.[24] Head coach Matt Eberflus named Brisker the starting strong safety to begin the season and paired him with free safety Eddie Jackson.[25]

On September 11, 2022, Brisker made his professional regular season debut and earned his first career start in the Chicago Bears' home-opener against the San Francisco 49ers and made four solo tackles and had the first fumble recovery of his career after Jaylon Johnson forced a fumble by wide receiver Deebo Samuel during a 19–10 victory.[26] In Week 4, he made five combined tackles (four solo) and made his first career sack on Daniel Jones for an 11–yard loss as the Bears lost 12–20 at the New York Giants. On October 24, 2022, Brisker made seven combined tackles (five solo), one pass deflection, and had his first career interception on a pass attempt thrown by Mac Jones to tight end Jonnu Smith during a 33–14 victory at the New England Patriots.[27] On November 20, 2022, Brisker possibly suffered a concussion on the opening drive of a Week 11 matchup at the Atlanta Falcons, as he went on to tackle quarterback Marcus Mariota on a scramble, Brisker accidentally drove his head into tight end MyCole Pruitt's back during the sequence and showed difficulty getting up and required assistance to get off the field. The Bears neglected to go through concussion protocol and Brisker returned to play defense after missing only one snap. In the third quarter, Brisker assisted a tackle on during a run by running back Cordarrelle Patterson and subsequently hit his head on the turf and grabbed his head in a sign of discomfort. He returned to the next series and finished the game with a season-high 11 combined tackles (seven solo) as the Bears lost to the Falcons 24–27.[28] The following day, the Bears reported that Brisker had been officially diagnosed with a concussion and would remain in concussion protocol for the next two games (Weeks 12–13).[29] He finished his rookie season with a total of 104 combined tackles (73 solo), led the team with four sacks, made two pass deflections, one interception, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery in 15 games and 15 starts.[30] Pro Football Focus named Brisker to the 2022 All-Rookie Team.[31] He was also voted as the Bears' Rookie of the Year by CBS Sports Chicago.[32] He received an overall grade of 67.0 from Pro Football Focus as a rookie in 2022.[33]

2023

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He returned to training camp slated as the de facto starting strong safety under defensive coordinator Alan Williams. Head coach Matt Eberflus named him and Eddie Jackson the starting safeties to begin the season.[34] On September 20, 2023, the Bears' defensive coordinator Alan Williams announced his immediate resignation. On October 22, 2023, Brisker recorded ten combined tackles (nine solo) and one pass deflection during a 30–12 win against the Las Vegas Raiders, but suffered a concussion during a two-point attempt by the Raiders with 1:10 remaining in the game. He would remain inactive in concussion protocol for the next two games (Weeks 8–9).[35] In Week 12, Brisker had three combined tackles (two solo), was credited with half a sack, made one pass deflection, and had his only interception of the season on a pass by Joshua Dobbs to wide receiver Jordan Addison during a 12–10 win at the Minnesota Vikings. On December 10, 2023, Brisker set a career-high with 17 combined tackles (13 solo), deflected two passes, and had a forced fumble during a 28–13 victory against the Detroit Lions. He finished the 2023 NFL season with a total of 105 combined tackles (66 solo), nine pass deflections, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, one sack, and an interception in 15 games and 15 starts.[36] He received an overall grade of 66.7 from Pro Football Focus in 2023.[37]

2024

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The Chicago Bears hired Eric Williams as their new defensive coordinator. Washington retained Brisker as the starting strong safety to begin the season and paired him with Kevin Byard following the departure of Eddie Jackson.[38] On September 29, 2024, Brisker set a season-high with 12 combined tackles (nine solo), made one pass deflection, a sack, and had his lone interception of the season on a pass by Matthew Stafford to tight end Colby Parkinson during a 24–18 win against the Los Angeles Rams. In Week 5, Brisker had five combined tackles (two solo), a pass deflection, and forced a fumble before exiting late in the second quarter after sustaining a concussion on a violent collision where he dove for a tackle on tight end Tommy Tremble with the crown of his helmet down, hitting Tremble hard enough to force a fumble and also knocking Tremble out during the Bears' 36–10 win against the Carolina Panthers. He was placed into concussion protocol and remained inactive for the remainder of the season, missing the last 12 games (Weeks 6–18). He finished the season with 40 combined tackles (23 solo), two pass deflections, one sack, and one interception in five games and five starts.[39] He received an overall grade of 65.3 from Pro Football Focus, which ranked 72nd among 171 qualifying safeties in 2024.[33]

NFL career statistics

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Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck PD Int Yds Avg Lng TD FF FR Yds TD
2022 CHI 15 15 104 73 31 4.0 2 1 6 6.0 6 0 1 1 0 0
2023 CHI 15 15 105 66 39 1.0 9 1 0 0.0 0 0 2 1 0 0
2024 CHI 5 5 40 23 17 1.0 2 1 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0
Career 35 35 249 162 87 6.0 13 3 6 2.0 6 0 4 2 0 0

References

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  1. ^ Sager, Joe (January 29, 2017). "Gateway football standout Brisker makes mark on basketball court". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  2. ^ Batko, Brian (December 8, 2017). "Brother's memory drives former Gateway football standout Jaquan Brisker". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  3. ^ Whalen, William (November 19, 2017). "Ex-Gateway football standout JaQuan Brisker drawing Division I looks". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  4. ^ Snyder, Audrey (August 15, 2018). "Why JUCO safety Jaquan Brisker wanted to be at Penn State all along". The Athletic. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  5. ^ Bodani, Frank (May 18, 2018). "Penn State recruiting run starts with one of the nation's top junior college players". York Daily Record. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  6. ^ McGonigal, John (December 20, 2018). "Which 2019 signee could make an 'immediate impact' in Penn State's secondary?". Centre Daily Times. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  7. ^ Gallen, Daniel (August 15, 2021). "Jaquan Brisker returns to Penn State ready to star in secondary". The Patriot-News. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  8. ^ Juliano, Joe (August 10, 2021). "Penn State safety Jaquan Brisker returns to team for one reason: Making amends for last year". Philadelphia Inquirer. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  9. ^ Lesmerises, Doug (July 8, 2021). "Penn State's Jaquan Brisker a great tackler who could put a big hit on Ohio State: Buckeyes' best opponents, No. 13". Cleveland.com. Retrieved September 20, 2021.
  10. ^ McGuire, Kevin (December 27, 2021). "Jaquan Brisker declares for NFL, will skip Outback Bowl". Nittany Lions Wire. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  11. ^ Gallen, Daniel (December 13, 2021). "Penn State's Jaquan Brisker named second-team All-America by AP; Jahan Dotson, Jordan Stout make third team". The Patriot-News. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  12. ^ McGuire, Kevin (February 1, 2022). "Jaquan Brisker reportedly opts out of Senior Bowl". Nittany Lion Wire. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
  13. ^ "2022 NFL Draft Profile: Jaquan Brisker". NFL.com. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  14. ^ Cory Giddings (April 26, 2022). "Jaquan Brisker NFL Draft 2022: Scouting Report for Penn State Safety". bleacherreport.com. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  15. ^ Kevin Hanson (April 5, 2022). "2022 NFL Draft Prospect Rankings: Safeties". SI.com. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  16. ^ Daniel Jeremiah (April 28, 2022). "Daniel Jeremiah's top 150 prospects in the 2022 NFL Draft: Where did each player land?". NFL.com. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  17. ^ Zach Patraw (April 22, 2022). "Patraw's 2022 NFL Draft Rankings: Safeties". SI.com. Retrieved March 18, 2025.
  18. ^ Reuter, Chad; Zierlein, Lance. "Jaquan Brisker Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  19. ^ "2022 Draft Scout Jaquan Brisker, Penn State NFL Draft Scout College Football Profile". draftscout.com. Retrieved May 8, 2022.
  20. ^ "2022 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  21. ^ Mayer, Larry (April 29, 2022). "Bears pick safety Jaquan Brisker at No. 48 in Round 2". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  22. ^ "Bears pick safety Jaquan Brisker at No. 48 in Round 2". Larry Mayer. April 29, 2022. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  23. ^ "Spotrac.com: Jaquan Brisker contract". Spotrac.com. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
  24. ^ "Chicago Bears 2022 Position Battles: Safety depth is solid". .windycitygridiron.com. July 22, 2022. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
  25. ^ Larry Mayer (September 6, 2022). "Bears reveal first depth chart of regular season". ChicagoBears.com. Retrieved April 6, 2025.
  26. ^ Schrock, Josh (September 12, 2022). "'We're letting people know:' Bears' rookies shine in win vs. 49ers". RSN. Retrieved October 13, 2022.
  27. ^ Zeglinski, Robert (October 24, 2022). "Bears' Jaquan Brisker picked Mac Jones off with one hand". USA TODAY. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  28. ^ Weiderer, Dan (November 23, 2022). "Jaquan Brisker lands in the concussion protocol after twice being allowed to return to Sunday's Chicago Bears game". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  29. ^ "Bears' Jaquan Brisker: Out of concussion protocol". CBSSports.com. December 12, 2022. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  30. ^ "Jaquan Brisker 2022 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 29, 2023.
  31. ^ Mayer, Larry (January 12, 2023). "Three Bears named to PFF's NFL All-Rookie Team". Chicago Bears. Retrieved January 12, 2023.
  32. ^ Taylor, Ryan (January 20, 2023). "Jaquan Brisker named Bears rookie of the year". RSN. Retrieved March 2, 2023.
  33. ^ a b "Pro Football Focus: Jaquan Brisker". PFF.com. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  34. ^ Alyssa Barbieri (August 8, 2023). "Bears release first unofficial depth chart ahead of preseason opener". bearswire.usatoday.com. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  35. ^ "Week 8 Injury Report Chargers vs. Bears: Bolts List 6 Players as Questionable". Chargers.com. October 27, 2023. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  36. ^ "Pro-Football-Reference: Jaquan Brisker Game Logs (2023)". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  37. ^ Jim Wyman (September 3, 2024). "Updated 2024 NFL roster rankings: Strengths, weaknesses and X factors for every starting lineup". PFF.com. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  38. ^ Alyssa Barbieri (August 27, 2024). "Bears 2024 projected depth chart ahead of roster cuts". bearswire.usatoday.com. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
  39. ^ "Pro-Football-Reference: Jaquan Brisker Game Logs (2024)". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved April 7, 2025.
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