After months of seeing the Chicago Bears' secondary's swag slowly die out with each player being placed on IR, things seem to be hitting a turning point after the signing of veteran defensive back C.J. Gardner-Johnson.
The excitement has built around the Windy City with Gardner-Johnson's arrival as he looks to help a unit that has lost Terell Smith, Jaylon Johnson, and Kyler Gordon. Bears safety Jaquan Brisker is excited to have Gardner-Johnson in the secondary with him, Kevin Byard, and Tyrique Stevenson for one reason: all the trash talk that's about to come from that unit.
"Especially the way I talk and the way other people talk," Brisker said via ESPN's Courtney Cronin. "We get people's heads. Grown men will be really crying out there. Men with kids. Imagine that. Seriously. It's hilarious. I wish I mic'd up every game."
Bears secondary could see some improvement with Gardner-Johnson out there
While Gardner-Johnson plays a physical style of football that makes him more built as a safety, his new role in the slot still works for him, as he has excellent coverage skills. Twice in his career, he has recorded six interceptions in a season, including a league-leading performance with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022.
While losing Johnson and Gordon has been tough, the secondary has been able to hold their own decently. Nahshon Wright has played decently on one of the outside spots, but Stevenson's emergence has been great to see as he's played much better this season than he ever has.
There have been no concerns with Byard and Brisker, as both hold their own at the safety positions. They have had to play bigger roles in coverage to help fill some of the gaps left by the injuries at cornerback.
Read more: Ben Johnson addressed head-on C.J. Gardner-Johnson's fit with Bears' locker room
All eyes will be on Gardner-Johnson and how he does in coverage, but one thing is for sure: there's going to be a lot of talking on the field with this secondary.