Bears' Jaquan Brisker details his journey back to football following his concussion

The road back to football has been a long one for Chicago Bears safety Jaquan Brisker. Eight months ago, the hard-hitting defensive back reported having concussion symptoms following a decisive 36-10 win over the Carolina Panthers. He missed the team's next game in London against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but the hope was that he would be back in no time.
That concussion, Brisker's third in the NFL, wound up keeping him out of the final 12 games of the season, a fairly uncommon occurrence. Brisker spent months rehabbing to get back to a point where he could return to the field, which finally happened this spring during organized team activities (OTAs).
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Now during mandatory minicamp, Brisker feels good with where he's at—probably due to the extensive rehab he was doing while recovering from his concussion. Brisker needed to retrain his nervous system following the injury, and it took a lot of work.
The Bears safety spoke with the media following Wednesday's practice (his first media appearance since suffering the injury) and detailed what his doctors had him do to get his mind right.
"I went to a doctor in Pittsburgh (University of Pittsburgh Medical Center), and he basically just explained the type of concussion I had and told me how to retrain it," Brisker said. "Really just doing exercises. That's really what I had to do, and then I did furthermore later on when I got to California."
The tests focused on reactionary movements from Brisker. "Side-to-side movements. A lot of tennis ball catching and things like that, just trying to track my eyes, get my eyes moving around, get my body moving around fast, and things like that, just reacting," Brisker said when asked about what kind of tests he was going through.
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Concussions can affect players differently, though Brisker isn't sure why this particular one kept him off the field for as long as it did. It was a serious issue, however, and many wondered if his playing career would need to be severely cut short. Thankfully, that wasn't the case. "I'm a Brisker. We're strong. I had people behind me, things like that. I dealt with so many more. things that were worse than that. This is just another bump in the road, to be honest. I just kept my head down, moving forward."
Brisker undoubtedly wants to move forward and prepare for what will be a pivotal season for him as a pro. At the same time, though, it wouldn't be a bad thing if Brisker picked up where he left off from last year. Prior to the injury, the former second-round pick was on a tear for the Bears. Brisker had totaled 40 tackles, three for a loss, one sack, an interception, and a forced fumble in just five games. Had he stayed healthy, Brisker would have easily surpassed his previous NFL career high and shown he's on an upward trajectory in the league.
That can still happen, even as he's entering the final year of his rookie contract while coming off injury. He can be a force in Dennis Allen's defensive scheme, and he doesn't feel any extra pressure with returning to the field. "Just stay healthy," he said when asked what he needs to prove in 2025. "I don't have to prove anything. When I was out there, I made plays. I go attack the ball, and I come down and hit; I come down and tackle, and I'm a leader. Really, I just have to be out there."
Even though it's just practice, it seems Brisker's long road back has finally reached its destination.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears' Jaquan Brisker details his journey back to football

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