Chicago Bears starting strong safety Jaquan Brisker seems to want a bigger role in Dennis Allen’s defense after the first two weeks of the 2025 regular season.
Earlier this week, Brisker indicated that he would like more opportunities for the Bears defense at the line of scrimmage in a since-deleted social media interaction with a fan.
The fan had written Tuesday on X: “They gotta let @JaquanBrisker get up on that LOS & play in that backfield. DA gotta take them chains off 9.”
In response, Brisker reposted the fan’s message and responded: “Facts. Use me.”
While Brisker later deleted both his repost and his reply, he made it clear that he thinks he can bring more to the table if he sees more snaps closer to the line of scrimmage.
Brisker has a hard-hitting playstyle that has suited him well when playing near the line of scrimmage in past seasons for the Bears, but Allen has not made much of an effort to use him in such a role through the first two games. Of his 115 total snaps played, he has rushed the passer on just three of them and has no sacks, tackles for loss or pressures.
Perhaps giving Brisker what he wants could help spark the Bears‘ pass rush in Week 3?
Jaquan Brisker is Playing for New Contract in 2025
Regardless of whether Allen decides to start using Brisker on more blitz packages, the 26-year-old safety is playing for his long-term future with the Bears this season.
Brisker — a 2022 second-round pick — is in the final season of his rookie contract and not a slam dunk to sign a contract extension with the Bears before 2026 free agency. While he has played at a high level for most of his career with the Bears, his concussion issues are worrisome, especially after his latest limited him to just five games in 2024.
The Bears should feel inclined to extend Brisker if he snaps back into form and stays on the field for the full 17-game slate, but he will also need to show them more than he has in the last two weeks. He has 14 total tackles and has allowed just two receptions for 8 yards on four targets in coverage, but he hasn’t delivered any splash plays or takeaways — an area in which the Bears have struggled in their first two performances.
Brisker has plenty of time to turn that around, but the Bears will need some reminders that he is a playmaker for their defense before they sign him to a new contract.
Can Bears Better Rush the Passer Against Cowboys?
Even if a pass-rushing Brisker is not the answer, the Bears need to find a way to better rush the quarterback in Week 3’s next game against the Dallas Cowboys after failing to do much of anything against veteran Jared Goff in Week 2’s loss to the Detroit Lions.
Goff picked apart the Bears to the tune of 334 passing yards and five touchdowns in last week’s 52-21 blowout, largely because Chicago’s defense failed to touch him or pressure him in any meaningful way. Head coach Ben Johnson even touched upon it afterward.
“We did not have any sacks,” Johnson said on Monday. “We didn’t get any quarterback hits or pressures, not to the amount that we wanted to. Really, Step No. 1 for us going into this game was trying to affect the quarterback. We came up short in that regard.”
Can the Bears flip the script on Dak Prescott and the Cowboys on Sunday?
The Cowboys allowed Prescott to be taken down three times in their overtime win over the New York Giants in Week 2, but he went sack-free against Philadelphia’s formidable defensive front– minus Jalen Carter after one play — in their opening-week loss.
The Bears will need their stars to shine if they want to do a better job than the Eagles, particularly veteran defensive end Montez Sweat. Chicago shelled out a four-year, $98 million contract to Sweat roughly 22 months ago and has not gotten nearly enough bang for its buck since then. He has zero sacks through the first two games of 2025.
The Bears will kick off at home against the Cowboys at 4:25 p.m. ET on Sunday.
Jaquan Brisker Makes Feelings Clear About Role in Bears Defense