Chicago Bears 2022 season in review: Grading the defense

Chicago Bears 2022 grades: Safeties

The safeties unit did a pretty good job this season. Poles did an excellent job of taking Penn State strong safety Jaquan Brisker. Brisker looked like a veteran player from the moment he hit the field in preseason games. He hit hard but had the discipline to use proper technique so the ball carrier could not get away.

Brisker finished the season second on the team in tackles with 104 (5 for loss), and led the team in sacks (is that not an indictment of the Bears’ pass rush?). He added 4 quarterback hits, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery, and 2 passes defended.

Brisker’s success allowed the other safety, former All-pro Eddie Jackson, to follow the ball. As a result, he was back to his old ways. He had 4 interceptions, the second-most in his career. Additionally, he had 2 forced fumbles.

Despite his reputation for not being able to tackle, Jackson was on his way to a career year in tackles this season. Despite missing the final five games of the season, he finished with 80 tackles. That was more than last season when he recorded 76 tackles. That number fell two short of a career-high.

The Brisker-Jackson duo was a formidable one. It will be great to see them again going forward when both are fully healthy (Brisker missed two games due to a concussion) and Brisker has his rookie season experience under his belt.

DeAndre Houston-Carson did a good job having to fill in for Jackson. He is, however, more suited in a backup role. Also, Elijah Hicks got some valuable snaps filling in. Look for him to have a role in a backup capacity as well. Grade: B-