The Chicago Bears ended a week of speculation on a high note, specifically regarding their injury report, where starting safety Jaquan Brisker was a surprise addition.
Brisker and the Bears are visiting the Washington Commanders on “Monday Night Football” in Week 6. However, the 2022 second-round pick was seemingly in danger of missing the contest with a quad injury, sitting out the first official practice of the week and the two sessions that occurred before it.
He returned with a full session on Friday and repeated the effort on Saturday.
Jaquan Brisker Gets Honest After Injury Scare Before Commanders Game
Brisker returned to the field this season after missing the final 12 games of the 2024 campaign with a concussion. He is also in the final year of his rookie contract and remains a vital piece of the Bears’ defensive attack.
Brisker has not missed any time this season, and he appears set to continue that in Week 6, as the Bears did not give him an injury designation heading into the game.
“I feel good,” Brisker told Clocker Sports on Saturday when asked what happened and how he felt. “I’m ready to go play.”
So far, Brisker has logged 21 total tackles and forced 1 fumble. He has received a 100% defensive snap share, per Pro Football Reference, joining center Drew Dalman as the only players with that distinction on the roster.
His return was part of a largely encouraging injury report for the Bears. In addition to Brisker, the Bears cleared Darnell Wright, Kyle Monangai, Kyler Gordon, Jonah Jackson, and T.J. Edwards.
Monangai is the only non-starter of that group.
Colston Loveland is questionable, as is Cairo Santos, with Jake Moody potentially set to make his Bears debut. The Bears also listed Austin Booker and Travis Homer as questionable, and would need to activate them from injured reserve before making corresponding roster moves.
Jaquan Brisker: Bears ‘Focused on This Year’
The Bears have been inundated with questions about their come-from-ahead defeat at the Commanders’ collective hand in 2024.
In yet another, Brisker addressed how the Bears block those memories out.
“It’s this year,” Brisker told Clocker Sports. “We’re focused on this year. Focused on the next game, which is Washington. And then, we’re just ready to go play our type of brand defense offense, special teams. We’re just focused on that.”
The Bears will still have to deal with Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels, who returned to the field in Week 5 after a knee injury cost him two games.
The key for the Bears is fairly straightforward.
“Everybody just doing their job. Whether we’re rushing four, five, six, 11 – doesn’t matter,” Brisker told Clocker Sports. “Everybody just contain, we do our job in coverage, things like that. But everybody just do their job and just contain him.”
That could be a lot easier with Edwards and Gordon on track to return to the field for the first time since Week 2 and this season, respectively.
“It means a lot to us,” Brisker said of Edwards and Gordon’s potential returns. “Regardless, whether it’s on or off the field, guys have been stepping up in their place. And then, with them playing, it makes a good difference, too. So, it means a lot. Be even more connected. But so far, we’ve been playing well as a group regardless.”
Bears Make Final Call on Grady Jarrett in Week 6
The one dour note about the Bears’ injury report was indeed defensive tackle Grady Jarrett being officially ruled out for Monday’s contest. Bears head coach Ben Johnson expressed confidence in Jarrett as someone who could play without participating in any practices.
However, after the session, the Bears made their final call.
This is Jarrett’s second missed contest after he also sat out of the win over the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4 before the bye in Week 5.