Bears Work Out Former 1st-Round Pick Amid Jaquan Brisker Injury Woes

Getty Veteran safety Terrell Edmunds worked out for the Chicago Bears on November 19.

The Chicago Bears have their eyes on former first-round pick and strong safety Terrell Edmunds — the brother of middle linebacker Tremaine Edmunds — as a potential replacement for the injured Jaquan Brisker in their defensive lineup.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Bears hosted Edmunds for a 53-man roster workout on November 19. The 27-year-old has made 79 career starts and played more than 100 games at strong safety since coming into the NFL as 2018’s No. 28 pick.

“Family reunion? The #Bears are working out veteran [free agent safety] Terrell Edmunds today, source said,” Rapoport wrote on X on Tuesday. “The former first-rounder has played for the #Steelers and #Jaguars this season. If he signs, he’d join his brother, Tremaine, Chicago’s Pro Bowl [linebacker].”

The Bears’ decision to work out Edmunds comes just five days after they placed Brisker — a rising star for their defense — on the injured reserve list. Brisker sustained a head injury while forcing a fumble in Week 5’s win over the Carolina Panthers and reported symptoms of a concussion the following day, entering the league’s concussion protocol.

Brisker, who has already missed five games, is now ineligible to return to the 53-man roster until at least Week 15 ahead of December 16’s game with the Minnesota Vikings.

The Bears have turned to backup Elijah Hicks at strong safety during Brisker’s absence, but signing Edmunds would give them a more experienced starter for their secondary.

Terrell Edmunds Could Provide Relief to Bears’ Deep Field

The Bears have some depth at safety between Hicks and offseason free agent signing Jonathan Owens, but an addition like Edmunds could help them breathe a lot easier.

Edmunds has notched 465 total tackles, 17 tackles for loss, 7.5 sacks, six interceptions and 28 pass breakups over his first seven years in the NFL. He is also versatile enough to play multiple roles on defense beyond strong safety, including dime linebacker and nickel cornerback, which would make him an interchangeable asset for their secondary.

Edmunds would also expectedly have natural chemistry with Chicago’s defensive signal caller — his younger brother Tremaine — that could give him a leg up on learning head coach Matt Eberflus’ defensive system. The Bears have just seven games remaining in the 2024 regular season and don’t have time to waste patching the hole in their defense.

Edmunds has only played 69 total defensive snaps in six games of action in 2024 — split between the Jacksonville Jaguars and Pittsburgh Steelers — but he has performed fairly well when called upon. According to Pro Football Focus, he has allowed just two catches on five targets in coverage this season and earned a 71.6 overall defensive grade.

The Bears have still not filled the roster spot that Brisker vacated when he landed on IR, so they would not need to make a corresponding move in order to sign Edmunds.

Jaquan Brisker Could Miss Remainder of 2024 for Bears

The Bears’ interest in Edmunds is even more intriguing in light of the comments that general manager Ryan Poles made about Brisker’s outlook for the rest of the season.

Poles spoke about Brisker’s situation during ESPN 1000’s pregame show before Week 11’s game against the Green Bay Packers and explained that the team decided to place him on IR because he had not made enough progress in recovering from his concussion and would need additional time to get his body back in playing shape before his return.

“There has to be a ramp-up period to get your body in shape, to play the game and avoid other injuries, such as soft-tissue injuries,” Poles said on November 17. “So we’re going to hit the pause button, make sure that he’s in a good space because our No. 1 thing is to make sure that our players are in a healthy place to play this game at 100%.”

Unfortunately for the Bears, Poles also hinted at the possibility of Brisker missing the rest of the 2024 season as he deals with his third known concussion in his NFL career.

“We’re going to slow this down and take time and allow him to take his time to come back,” Poles continued. “Would love to see him back this year, but we’re just going to take it one week at a time.”