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The holiday weekend is a crucial one for the Chicago Bears, and not just because it marks one week until the team opens the regular season against the Green Bay Packers.
The last several and the next several days have been/will be crucial to the rehabilitation of starting safety Jaquan Brisker who suffered a soft tissue injury that has kept him sidelined for the last several weeks.
“He’s doing things this weekend,” Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said during a press conference on Thursday, August 31. “He’s been in there in practice this week, which has been good. And he’s been working off to the side also during practice, so he’s starting to get himself in there and we feel good [about] where he is. Wednesday will be a big day for him when we get back into the pads. So it’ll be a big day for us.”
Jaquan Brisker’s Injury Remains Mild Mystery Ahead of Week 1 Matchup With Packers
GettyChicago Bears safety Jaquan Brisker has a soft tissue injury, though not much more about the issue is currently known.
The precise nature of Brisker’s injury remains unknown, as the league won’t require teams to be detailed in their public reports on such matters until September 6.
That date also happens to be Wednesday, which makes it an even bigger day for Brisker and Bears fans as it will mark the first time the team files a full injury disclosure.
“It’s just the wait and see. How does the rehab go this weekend? Because he’s doing something every day,” Eberflus continued. “Then when you get the pads on and start cracking and doing full-speed movements, then we’ll see where it is.”
Jaquan Brisker Crucial to Success of Bears Defense in 2023
GettySafety Jaquan Brisker of the Chicago Bears is poised to have a monster season in 2023 if he can remain healthy.
Brisker’s teammates voted him Bears Rookie of the Year in 2022 and he is projected to make another leap during his sophomore campaign, perhaps all the way to Pro-Bowl status and beyond.
The 24-year-old does a little bit of everything on the field. He led the Bears in sacks last season with four, which complemented two pass breakups, an interception and a forced fumble, per Pro Football Reference. He also held opposing quarterbacks to a collective completion percentage of 53.6% during coverage plays, and Pro Football Focus (PFF) gave Brisker a respectable 64.2 player grade across 448 snaps against the run via its analytics-based model.
Alongside veteran Eddie Jackson, Brisker is part of what could prove to be one of the better starting safety duos in the NFL and was, by all accounts, having a bang-up preseason before suffering his current injury.
“Brisker flying around — he was a menace throughout practice, coming up in run support while also taking away any route in his general vicinity,” Matt Verderame of Sports Illustrated wrote after attending a Bears training camp practice on August 4. “It’s not surprising to see Brisker playing well after an encouraging rookie season.”
Whether Brisker will play well against the Packers isn’t so much the concern as it is whether he will be able to play at all.
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Top Bears Defender Questionable Against Packers With Injury