I’ve got a family function to attend this afternoon and I’m a little nervous about it. Social anxiety is a tough thing to process at times. Admittedly, I’ve been doing better lately when it comes to social settings and interactions. But re-loading that social battery has proven to be a challenge at times. And yet, I’m still going at it because challenges are made to be beaten.
This is not what I had in mind when I saw that Bears rookies were playing “football” at Soldier Field on Friday:
Between the fútbolling, basketballing, and hocking that has been happening the last few days with the Bears, it is a nice reminder that these guys are athletes. We knew GM Ryan Poles was prioritizing bringing in athletes this offseason. Now, we’re starting to get a better picture.
Jaquan Brisker was a rookie taking in the welcome-to-Chicago experience at this time last year. But one year later, Brisker has a year of pro experience under his belt. And while it was mostly good for the Penn State product, Brisker feels as if there is another level to reach after a healthy offseason:
“I feel like last year, in the beginning, I felt like I was ahead of the game until I messed up my thumb,” Brisker said, via NBC Sports Chicago. “I had to come back and get all that back and I started kicking it up again. And then when I got a concussion, that kind of was a little setback there.”
Brisker missed just two games due to the injuries he mentions above, but he clearly felt that he wasn’t the same after dealing with those issues. You can’t really predict injuries. However, what you can do is learn from how you grow from them and apply better processes the next time around. Brisker definitely comes off as someone who has a new appreciation for maintaining health. Here’s hoping he gets a full 17-game slate this year.
While I love that Brisker’s skillset is diverse enough to allow him to pick up 4 sacks as a rookie, I hope 2022 was the last year a safety leads the team in sacks. Brisker is also the defense’s returning leader in total tackles (104) and solo tackles (73). Brisker’s 5 tackles-for-loss were tied for third-most among Bears last season. Defensive tackle Justin Jones’ 12 TFLs were tops.
I wonder how Justin Jones will look this year. The linebackers behind him are better with the additions of Tremaine Edmunds and T.J. Edwards. Gervon Dexter Sr. and Zacch Pickens provide a hint of upside as rookies who can play next to Jones. And even though they haven’t made sizable upgrades at defensive end, signing DeMarcus Walker might free up Jones to do some things in the interior. It’ll be fascinating to watch how the Bears go about piecing together a defensive line.
PFF says the Bears have two top-10 off-the-ball linebackers. So while I realize that particular position isn’t as important as it once was on the defensive positional ranking scale, stability in the middle has value. I feel a bit more at ease knowing that this group looks like it is positioning itself to be much better than it was at the end of last year.
Just as the Bears defensive front seven got better, the Vikings ground game got worse. I’m sure there are perfectly cromulent reasons for Minnesota to have cut Cook. But I hate how running backs are treated as disposable. You know something is off when even the good ones are getting the boot while coming off a fourth consecutive season with 1,100 rushing yards. And, yes, I understand the positional value scale. It just doesn’t sit right with me when good players are just discarded in this fashion. Although, I’ll admit I’m glad that Cook will be out of the division (even though the Bears handled him well over the years).
If you were going to send Cook to Chicago, whose reps is he taking? Would you give up Khalil Herbert touches just one year after his yards per carry average was the best among running backs last year? Are you willing to sacrifice Roschon Johnson reps? What happens with D’Onta Foreman?
Some organizational housekeeping at Halas Hall:
The Bears announced the following changes to their football operations staff
Drew Raucina, Area Scout
Ryan Weese, Combine Scout
Erika Marmolejo, Director of Player Engagement
Ryan Hubley, Football Research Analyst— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) June 9, 2023
Good luck to our friend Greg Braggs Jr., who is leaving bricklaying behind to enter the sports media world. You’ve probably seen Greg at training camp or at games with his videos. It’s a fun perspective that sometimes we don’t appreciate as much as we should. And I love that he is sharing this journey with us. (CHGO)
Just 92 days until the Bears and Packers link up for Week 1.
Now that we’re far enough removed from being oversaturated with mock drafts, I think we can fully enjoy what is happening with our friends at BN Blackhawks:
Luis C. Medina, who you can find on Twitter at lcm1986, has been covering the Chicago Bears at Bleacher Nation since 2017. Since then, he has written about 3 head coaches, 5 play-callers, and 11 starting quarterbacks. Previously, Luis wrote about the Cubs and MLB at BN (2015-16) and worked in the Chicago Tribune sports department (2011-16). He also co-hosted a Cubs postgame show, Outside the Ivy, in 2019.
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