3 Chicago Bears selected to PFF’s All-Rookie Team
By Peter Jurich
While the 2022 season was not a success in the win column, the Chicago Bears proved that they have a handful of quality players that they can build around. Outside of quarterback Justin Fields, who broke out this season as one of the league’s best dual-threat quarterbacks, many rookies from general manager Ryan Poles’ first off-season have proven to be quality starters in the NFL.
Chicago Bears had the best rookie class in the NFL
On Tuesday, Pro Football Focus (PFF) announced their 2022 All-Rookie Team, and while numerous teams had two players selected, the Chicago Bears were the sole team with three rookies who made the cut.
This feat is especially impressive on two counts. Not only did the Chicago Bears not have a first-round pick in the 2022 Draft, but most of the All-Rookie roster also consisted of players who were taken in the top 32 last spring.
For the Bears, the three players selected were safety Jaquan Brisker, left tackle Braxton Jones, and linebacker Jack Sanborn. It is impressive that all of these players made this list, especially considering the capital given up by the Bears to obtain them.
Brisker, who was the second player drafted by Poles in 2022, was a late second-round pick out of Penn State and was a day-one starter in the Bears’ secondary. Not only was he one of the best rookie safeties this past season, but he was one of the best defensive rookies in general, even getting hype to win this year’s Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
Braxton Jones, like Brisker, was a day-one starter for the Bears at left tackle, an impressive feat for any rookie, let alone a fifth-round pick. Jones not only exceeded expectations last season but likely earned himself the starting left tackle spot for 2023 and potentially beyond. One of the best offensive linemen from his class, Jones could have likely been a first-round pick in a 2022 re-draft.
The final Bears’ rookie to get put on this All-Rookie list, undrafted free-agent Jack Sanborn was one of the best surprises for the team and fans alike. Out of Wisconsin, Sanborn took over the starting middle linebacker role once the team traded Roquan Smith to the Ravens, and was an extremely effective player in coach Matt Eberflus’s defense.
All three of these players not only performed well in their rookie seasons but also secured their starting positions for 2023. Considering that none of these players were first-round picks, and only Brisker was selected in the top four rounds of the draft. 2022 proved that the Bears and Poles are able to find talent at essentially every price tag.