The Chicago Bears did not have a lot of positive takeaways from a three-win 2022 season. Perhaps the bright spot on the 29th-ranked total defense in the NFL was rookie safety Jaquan Brisker.

Entering his sophomore season, Brisker's confidence is growing and he thinks a breakout season is in the cards.

“Usually I’m a consistent leader. You see it during the OTAs this year — a lot different energy,” Brisker said. “I’m flying around playing both safeties. So definitely going to get a different [No.] 9 this year.”

Brisker finished second on the Bears in total tackles with 104 and led the team with four sacks in 2022. Chicago had an NFL-worst 20 team sacks in 2022.

Brisker will likely wear a lot of hats for Chicago's defense this season. His versatility will allow the Bears to maximize his talents and grow his potential as a player, while also allowing him to become more of a leader.

The Bears took Brisker in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of Penn State. He had a decorated final college season in 2021, nabbing first-team All-SEC honors as well as being named a second-team All-American.

If the Bears want to get out of the NFL basement in 2023 they'll need to rely on young players like Brisker to take the next step and become household names among football fans. Jaquan Brisker showed plenty of breakout potential as a rookie in 2022. He thinks he'll improve exponentially in 2023 and become a different player, a more complete player, than he was a year ago.