Chicago Bears coordinators, players and defensive assistants met with reporters Thursday at Halas Hall as they prepare their units for Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots at Soldier Field.
Here are three things we learned from those conversations.
1. Montez Sweat said his shin is “much better” as he looks to return from sitting out in Week 9.
The Bears worked out the defensive end before their 29-9 loss to the Arizona Cardinals and determined he wasn’t able to play with the shin bruise he had suffered against the Washington Commanders.
Sweat said it wasn’t his decision whether to play.
“They assessed me and made the decision,” he said. “I just do the workout and do what I’m told.”
Sweat said it was “pretty hard” sitting out as the Bears struggled to stop the run against the Cardinals on the way to giving up a season high in points, though he noted the run defense is “not something that I can save the day on” alone.
Still, the Bears clearly missed their star and would welcome him back this week. Sweat practiced in a limited capacity Wednesday, was back to full participation Thursday and said the shin is doing better.
“It’s basically just getting the swelling out, getting the range of motion back in there,” he said.
The Bears will look for Sweat, who has 3½ sacks, to make a difference against the Patriots and rookie quarterback Drake Maye on Sunday. Maye has been sacked 13 times in four starts and has a 9.42% sack percentage, seventh-highest in the NFL.
“Montez, he’s a Pro Bowl-caliber player,” defensive coordinator Eric Washington said. “He’s a person that’s capable of making standout plays and forcing the issue at any given point, forcing the quarterback to make off-schedule throws, which we can benefit from that by intercepting the football. He’s excellent at the point of attack. The value he adds to our defense, we’re all well aware of that. We’ll be excited to have him back out there, his influence, his leadership, his talent, and it will make a difference for us.”
2. Cornerbacks coach Jon Hoke took responsibility for Tyrique Stevenson’s actions against the Commanders.
Hoke spoke with reporters Thursday for the first time since the Bears lost to the Commanders on a Hail Mary in Week 8. Stevenson drew national attention for interacting with the crowd at the start of the play and not covering Noah Brown, who caught the tipped ball for the winning touchdown.
Hoke said he “100%” took responsibility for not having Stevenson ready in the moment.
“I’m his coach, and I’m the one responsible for him,” Hoke said. “So I’m the one who has to make sure he’s locked in and focused and all those type of things. To me, I take the responsibility of that because that’s my player. He made an obviously very bad decision, mistake, but I have to make sure that I coach that better to make sure he does what he needs to do.”
Hoke said he and Stevenson talked last week about having better poise and understanding of situational football. He said he thought Stevenson handled the aftermath well, taking responsibility and ownership of the mistake, putting aside his disappointment in being benched for the start of the Cardinals game and then playing well when he did enter. Stevenson had seven tackles and two passes defended.
Hoke said it’s not something Stevenson necessarily will put behind him and forget.
“He’s going to live with that for a long time,” Hoke said. “We all know that. It is what it is. But like I said, it’s still my responsibility. I’m going to live with it for a long time. But now we’ve got to keep moving forward. We’ve got to keep growing the man and keep growing the player. That’s what you do as a coach.”
3. Safeties coach Andre Curtis has tried to support Jaquan Brisker as he remains out with a concussion.
Thursday marked one month since Brisker self-reported concussion symptoms to the Bears following his hard, fumble-causing hit against the Carolina Panthers in Week 5.
The safety remains in concussion protocol as he tries to recover from at least his third concussion in three seasons with the Bears. He has missed the last three games, and Curtis said it has been hard on Brisker sitting out.
“You’re talking about a guy that has a pretty singular focus this time of year,” Curtis said. “That’s what you love about him too.”
Curtis said he recently spoke with Brisker, and the safety was “engaging and optimistic.” He tries to stay in frequent contact with him to help him feel supported.
“You always want to help them through whatever process they have to go through, encouraging them, being there for them,” Curtis said. “There’s not a lot I can do personally as a coach except stay connected.”
Coach Matt Eberflus said last week that Brisker had made it to some meetings and walkthroughs but had continued symptoms. He did not practice Wednesday or Thursday.
“It’s always going to be about his safety, his health and where he is,” Eberflus said Friday. “Jaquan brings a lot of energy and passion to our team and certainly to our defense. He was having a really good year leading up to this. His health and safety are first. We want to make sure we do a good job with that first. Then he will bring that energy and passion back like he always does.”
Brisker was one of four players to sit out with injury Thursday, along with offensive tackles Darnell Wright (knee) and Kiran Amegadjie (calf) and linebacker Noah Sewell.
Left tackle Braxton Jones (knee), nickel Kyler Gordon (hamstring), cornerback Terell Smith (ankle) and defensive end Darrell Taylor (knee) were limited.
The Bears put defensive tackle Andrew Billings (torn pectoral) and cornerback Jaylon Jones (shoulder) on injured reserve.
