Player: S Jaquan Brisker
Stock Value: Purchased
Reasoning: Whether S Jaquan Brisker will be an every-down starter, it’s too early to say, but that’s a good problem for the Steelers to have. Coming over from the Bears, Brisker is an experienced leader, but he has some red flags. The biggest worry is his health and durability, which is certainly not insignificant. But if that weren’t the case, he probably would have priced his way out of Pittsburgh.
Kenneth Gainwell was one of the best bargains in free agency last year in the NFL—could the Steelers have another this year in Jaquan Brisker? That depends on whether he can maintain his current momentum and whether he believes he is ready to play his best football.
A 2022 second-round pick, Jaquan Brisker was a rookie starter for the Bears. However, he only played 52 games over four seasons due to injury, missing 12 in 2024. Last year, he managed to play in every game for the first time in his career, and he’s had no setbacks thus far.
Speaking to reporters, Jaquan Brisker said he believes the Steelers are getting the best version of him. And he believes their coaching staff, particularly DC Patrick Graham, is eager to get the most out of him. He has the potential to be a top-10 safety in the NFL, but a lot of things have to go right.
At 6-1, 204 pounds, Brisker has the size and the athleticism to shift between strong and free safety and even slide down into the box. Moving around more is something about which he is eager to do this season, in fact.
Brisker has at least 1 sack and 1 interception in each season, underscoring the diversity of his game. He also averages 1 forced fumble per season, even if he didn’t have one last year. And the Steelers reportedly signed him for just $5.5 million. If he proves to be the best version of himself, they will be trying to sign him to a fat contract extension next February.
With the 2025 season behind us and the new league year underway, we still have stock to take. Already promisinga year of change, they are shaking things up. That is unavoidable, of course, when you gut the coaching staff. Mike Tomlin’s resignation will fundamentally change this football team, including the playoffs on the roster.
After a long season, we have finally seen that this Steelers team is playoff-bound. But they also showed that their progress was actually minimal,since they made it no further. Two years in a row, with two different quarterbacks, they went 10-7 and lost in the Wild Card Round. The only differences are that they ended the season on a higher note and won the division. But it didn’t help.
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