Getty Bears head coach Matt Eberflus.
The Chicago Bears are bringing back veteran safety Adrian Colbert — one of the stars of HBO’s “Hard Knocks” series – for another chance to help their defense.
According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Bears are re-signing Colbert to their practice squad before their first practice for Week 12’s game against the Minnesota Vikings. The 31-year-old had spent the offseason with the Bears and competed for a spot in their safety rotation during training camp, but he did not make the initial cut.
Colbert’s story captured hearts when featured in the final episode of HBO’s “Hard Knocks: Training Camp with the Chicago Bears” on September 4. He spoke about the day he almost lost his life when a woman struck him with her car when he was 9 years old and how that experience has helped shape his disposition toward life and football.
The episode also showed Bears general manager Ryan Poles getting emotional while breaking the news to Colbert that he would not be making the team’s 53-man roster, a scene that left many fans rooting for him to get his next opportunity in the NFL.
Now, Colbert will get another shot with the Bears at a time when the team is struggling with injuries in its safety room. The Bears will not have starting strong safety Jaquan Brisker available until at least Week 15 after placing him on the injured reserve list on November 14. Meanwhile, Elijah Hicks — Brisker’s replacement — injured his ankle in Week 11’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, leaving them short on reliable depth.
Fortunately, Colbert — self-proclaimed “Ol’ Reliable” — is ready to get back to work.
Will Adrian Colbert Play Against Vikings in Week 12?
The Bears will now welcome back Colbert into their safety rotation ahead of Week 12’s game against the Vikings, but don’t count on him playing on Sunday just yet.
Colbert should still have banked knowledge of how head coach Matt Eberflus’ defensive system operates after spending portions of the past two seasons with the team, both as an active-roster member and a practice-squad player. He also possesses the experience of an eight-year NFL veteran despite having just 41 career games on his record.
That said, the Bears figure to have Jonathan Owens — who signed a two-year contract with the team in March — higher up in the pecking order than Colbert, especially in the short-term future since Owens has spent the entire season on the active roster. Chicago also recently called up Tarvarius Moore from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, giving the Bears two safeties who should have playing-time priority over Colbert.
Colbert should still have his uses for the Bears over the season’s final seven weeks, but with the short notice, he is unlikely to receive a game-day elevation right away.
Jaquan Brisker Uncertain to Return for 2024 Season
The Bears’ decision to add more safety depth is not surprising after Poles opened the door for Brisker to potentially miss the rest of the season with his latest concussion.
Brisker has not played or practiced since entering the NFL’s concussion protocol on October 6 as a result of an injury he sustained in Week 5’s win over Carolina. Chicago had left him on the active roster in hopes that he would recover quickly, but that effort came to an end on November 14 when the team placed him on the injured reserve list.
As Poles explained on ESPN 1000’s Week 11 pregame show, the Bears reached a point with Brisker where they recognized he had not made enough progress in his recovery to have an estimated return date and knew he would need even more time to get back into playing shape once he cleared the league’s concussion protocol. An IR designation — and a mandatory four-week absence before reactivation — gives Brisker more time.
Poles, however, did not sound confident that Brisker would be back in 2024.
“We’re going to slow this down and take time and allow him to take his time to come back,” Poles said of his injured strong safety on November 17. “Would love to see him back this year, but we’re just going to take it one week at a time.”
