The Chicago Bears saw significant contributions from rookies on offense, defense and special teams during the 2022 season, whether it was from draft picks or undrafted free agents.
The Bears drafted safety Elijah Hicks in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL draft, and his special teams prowess helped earn him a spot on the 53-man roster. While Hicks didn’t see significant action on defense, he did step in due to injuries to Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker.
Let’s take a look back at Hick’s rookie season and see what we can expect for the future.
2022 stats
- 28 total tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery (15 games, 2 starts)
2022 season review
Hicks was drafted in the seventh round of the NFL draft, and his strong outing in training camp and the preseason helped him earn a roster spot. Hicks saw limited action on defense during his rookie season, but he was a key contributor on special teams. With Eddie Jackson sustaining a season-ending foot injury and Jaquan Brisker suffering a concussion, Hicks did see extended action alongside veteran DeAndre Houston-Carson. Hicks had two starts in Week 13 against the Packers and Week 18 against the Vikings, and he allowed three catches on three targets for 84 yards and a touchdown. Considering Hicks was a seventh-round pick, the Bears got good value, and he should be a key reserve and special teams contributor moving forward.
Best Game: vs. Vikings (Week 18)
With injuries to Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker down the stretch, Hicks saw two starts in the final five games of his rookie season. But his best game came against the Vikings in the Week 18 finale. It was far from a perfect performance, but it was his most impactful. Hicks got the start at safety, and he had a career-high 11 total tackles (second behind Joe Thomas), as well as forced a fumble. Not to mention, Hicks had another solid outing on special teams.
2023 season outlook
The Bears are set at safety heading into the 2023 season with starters Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker. But that doesn’t mean Hicks doesn’t factor into Chicago’s plans, especially if Houston-Carson isn’t brought back. While Hicks didn’t see significant action on defense during his rookie year, he did show he has potential to develop into a starting safety moving forward. If anything, perhaps he could develop into that Houston-Carson role, where he’s a special teams leader and next-man-up at safety.
2022 rookie reviews
We’re unveiling our rookie season reviews over the next week. Here’s a look at the rundown from the 2022 rookie class:
| S Jaquan Brisker | OT Braxton Jones | LB Jack Sanborn |
| CB Kyler Gordon | WR Velus Jones Jr. | P Trenton Gill |
| DE Dominique Robinson | RB Trestan Ebner | S Elijah Hicks |
