Bears hit a home run with successful 2022 Rookie Class |
While this last season seemed like a total bust for the Bears, with the most losses in a season in franchise history and only 20 sacks, their lowest since 2003, there were some upsides to this season. One of those was the rookie class of 2022; the Bears rookies contributed a lot for Chicago and will be incredibly important for the franchise moving forward.
ESPN recently released their rankings for all of the NFL team’s rookie classes, and the Bears finished No. 8 overall. This ranking was second in the NFC North, with the Lions coming in slightly ahead at No. 6, the Packers at No. 14, and the Vikings at No. 25. One other remarkable thing for Chicago is that they were the only team to finish in the top 10 who did not have a first-round pick in 2022. Overall, this article emphasized the contributions of cornerback Kyler Gordon and safety Jaquan Brisker. However, they also highlighted undrafted cornerback Jaylon Jones along with fifth-rounder Braxton Jones at left tackle.
Gordon was an incredibly important player for the Chicago Bears this season, playing on 97% of the Bears’ defensive snaps. He also played a little bit on special teams. The second-rounder out of Washington had three interceptions this season, along with defending six passes and forcing a fumble; that forced fumble came against the Giants back in Week 4. Two of his interceptions came in the last three games of the season, with one against the Eagles in Week 15 and another against the Bills in Week 16. Gordon was a consistent presence in the secondary for the Bears and someone that will be incredibly important for them going forward.
Brisker was also an important presence for the Bears. While he only had one interception, which came against the Patriots in Chicago’s last win of the season, Brisker also defended two passes, forced a fumble, had a fumble recovery, and recorded four sacks. He played on every defensive snap this season, while also playing on 12% of Chicago’s special team snaps. In his first season, he had 73 solo tackles coupled with five tackles for loss. His job was made a lot harder by the lack of a pass rush by the defensive front, but he still played very well this season.
Cornerback Jaylon Jones went undrafted, coming out of the University of Mississippi. While he did not play as a starter for most of the season, he was a consistent presence in the final four games of the season. The Bears were ravaged by injuries on both sides of the ball, but this gave Jones a chance to step up and make some plays. While he didn’t have any interceptions, he did defend two passes and forced a fumble. He also had a total of 33 solo tackles, along with 14 assists. He may not have been as much of an impact as Gordon or Brisker, but he proved himself as someone that can be a good backup.
The Bears gave up the fourth-most sacks out of any team this season with 58; quarterback Justin Fields was tied with Broncos’ quarterback Russell Wilson for the most-sacked quarterback in the NFL with 55 sacks. A number of these sacks were on Fields, but not all of them. Because of these sack numbers, not a lot of attention was paid to Braxton Jones, who was tasked with starting at the offensive line all season. He never missed a snap all season and was generally reliable all season. He is someone the Bears are surely keeping around as they try to build the rest of the offensive line. Kyler Gordon
Jaquan Brisker
Jaylon Jones
Braxton Jones
