GM Ryan Poles knew that rebuilding the defense was a priority from the moment he arrived. The Chicago Bears have always identified by that side of the ball. Not much winning happens when they’re bad. So he and head coach Matt Ebeflus made it their mission to retool as quickly as possible. Thanks to a series of fortunate bounces in the 2022 and 2023 drafts and Jaylon Johnson’s presence when they arrived, the Bears may have built something special in their secondary. Fans caught their first glimpse of it last season.
The starting unit alone collected 12 interceptions last season. That was with guys missing games with injuries throughout the year and Tyrique Stevenson being a rookie. Now they’re joined by Kevin Byard, one of the best ballhawks in the league over the past several years. Confidence is sky-high. It has reached a point where they have given themselves their own nickname. Jaquan Brisker saw it surface on Twitter last year and felt it was perfect. Comic book fans are going to love it.
Cornerback Kyler Gordon already leaned into the Marvel universe with his Spider-Man nickname from Eberflus. Brisker decided to take it the rest of the way. As far as who represents which superhero, that remains a mystery. Given the way he plays, Brisker would probably be the Hulk, given how he willingly throws his body around, hitting everything that moves. Johnson is very much a Black Panther type. He’s the group leader, a tremendous athlete, and can beat anybody one-on-one. Tyrique Stevenson is Ant-Man. While he might not be known for his precision, he’s a world-class thief and much tougher than he gets credit for. Byard is Thor. Ageless, versatile, and much stronger than anybody realizes.
All of that aside, it is great to see the Chicago Bears secondary brimming with such confidence. That is what the team needs to reach the next level. If they want to win a championship, they must first believe there is nobody who can beat them on equal terms. If the team can start stringing wins together, that confidence will only grow. Establishing the nickname is one thing. Earning it will be another.
