The Chicago Bears missed safety [Jaquan Brisker](https://www.chicagotribune.com/2025/06/04/chicago-bears-jaquan-brisker-concussions/) last season. There is no denying that. His versatility, leadership, and physical presence were what made the defense so effective in 2023. Things started the same way last season. However, things took an ugly turn in week five when a nasty collision with Carolina Panthers tight end Tommy Tremble resulted in a concussion. At first, things didn’t seem bad. He wasn’t even diagnosed right away. When he finally was, he was expected to miss the following game in London against Jacksonville and then have the bye week to rest up. Most concussions took a couple of weeks to get over.
One week turned to two. Two weeks turned into a month. Then, before anybody realized it, the season was over. Brisker never returned. People were left wondering what happened. Speculation ran rampant. Some wondered if the team intentionally held him out for some unexplained reasons. Maybe a beef with head coach Matt Eberflus. The reality was far scarier than that. Brisker finally revealed the details of what happened at his latest press conference.
> Brisker finally was cleared early in the offseason and said he had to “**retrain” his nervous system** after visiting a specialist at University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. He said the doctor described it as a vestibular concussion, the kind that can affect balance, visual motion sensitivity and other factors.
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> That led to movement-related drills and exercises such as catching a tennis ball so his eyes would be forced to track the object while he was moving. **He had to get his reactions sparking like he was accustomed to in the past**.
You often take for granted the little things you learn as a child that never leave you. When they do, it must make you feel powerless. Jaquan Brisker never lost his desire to return. Unfortunately, his body wouldn’t let him. A vestibular concussion means the trauma he suffered was to the inner ear. That is the area that affects balance and spatial orientation. Recovery is a time-consuming process. Normal concussions take 3-4 weeks to resolve. Vestibular ones take months. One can imagine he was thrilled to be back on the field for the start of OTAs last month. The question will be whether he can adjust his playing style to avoid such injuries in the future. Plenty is riding on it. Brisker is in the last year of his rookie contract. He’s playing for his future now.
