Chicago Bears defensive player on injury return war path at OTAs

With Ben Johnson taking over as head coach, everyone has been focused on the Chicago Bears offense. However, the franchise has made numerous changes on the defensive side of the ball as well.

While not technically a new addition, Jaquan Brisker’s return to the field should pay massive dividends for the Bears. The safety played in just five games during the 2025 campaign due to a concussion. However, he has put in the work to make a comeback and has made it clear he is envisioning a ferocious return.

During OTAs, Brisker has certainly looked like a player on an injury war path. On Wednesday, he showed off his ball hawk abilities while intercepting Caleb Williams. Overall, it has been hard to miss Brisker on the gridrion thus far, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN.

“Jaquan Brisker is hard to miss at practice. You can tell how much it means to him to be back on the field after concussions limited him to 5 games in 2024. The safety let out a loud scream before the first team period and came away with an INT in 7 on 7.”

While Caleb Williams’ response to the excerpts from Seth Wickersham’s book were the focus today at Halas Hall, here are a few things I saw/heard from OTAs that caught my attention:

1. Jaquan Brisker is hard to miss at practice. You can tell how much it means to him to be back on…

— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) May 28, 2025

.@JaquanBrisker is SO back pic.twitter.com/Le8gK9ucOd

— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) May 29, 2025

Jaquan Brisker ready to mount comeback

As a rookie, Brisker registered 104 tackles, two passes defended an interception and a career-high four sacks. he followed that up in 2023 by setting career-highs in tackles (105) and passes defended (nine) while recording a pick. Despite only playing in five games, Brisker made an interception in 2024, to go alongside 40 tackles and two passes defended.

It’s an alarming sign when a concussion holds a player out of the majority of the season. But Brisker seems to be past any woes. Now fully back on the field, the 2025 campaign will be make-or-break for Brisker as he looks to prove he should be apart of Dennis Allen’s core.

With played like Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon, pass defense was arguably Chicago’s biggest strong point in 2024. They ranked 16th overall, allowing 218.1 yards per game. If Brisker stays healthy and takes a step forward, it’s reasonable to expect that ranking to go up.

His interception on Williams caught the eyeballs of everyone at Bears OTAs. Now it’s up to Brisker to see that success translate into the regular season.

Future at safety for Chicago Bears

Kevin Byard is poised to start next to Brisker entering the 2025 campaign. The former is entering his age-32 season while the latter is 26-years-old. However, one thing they both have in common is that they’re free agents after the season.

Byard has made it clear that he wants to remain with the Bears. He looked strong in his Chicago debut, making 130 tackles, seven passes defended and an interception. Another impressive performance will likely convince the Bears to offer an extension.

As a second-round pick, the Bears had high hopes for Brisker. While he has flashed at times, injuries have spawned a dark cloud over his head. A healthy and consistent season from the safety would firmly have him in Chicago’s good graces.

The Bears are confident their secondary will remain a strength entering the 2025 campaign. Their safety pairing will be crucial in ensuring quarterbacks have a difficult time whenever they play Chicago.