Jaquan Brisker ranked the 9th best safety in the NFL through week 3

How are the Bears 2-1 despite only having completed 23 passes through three games (19 fewer than the next-closest team)? It’s all about the defense, and the addition of Brisker — a 2022 Next Gen Stats Draft Score “sleeper” — has been a major component of that. Brisker appeared on our rundown of the top-10 rookie debuts due to his pass-coverage prowess, and that trend has not slowed down by any means since then.

Only 30.0 percent of targets with Brisker as the nearest defender have been completed this season, the lowest rate among any player at any position with 10-plus targets. And even when the ball does get completed, Brisker’s sure tackling helps limit the big plays, as his 1.9 yards/target allowed as the nearest defender is tied for first (with Chargers CB Bryce Callahan) among all players with 10-plus targets.

Brisker has played all over the field (51.3 percent of snaps aligned as deep safety, 13.8 percent as slot CB, 15.3 percent as off-ball LB), and he has been the definition of “instant impact” for one of the league’s most surprising teams thus far.