TAMPA, Fla. — A challenging day for the Bears got much tougher by the end of the first quarter as both starting safeties left with injuries.
Jaquan Brisker went out first with what appeared to be a heat-related illness. The Bears were treating him with a wet towel and sponge on the bench. He went to the locker room and returned midway through the third quarter.
Jackson got hurt a few plays later. He had a left foot injury and, after a long time in the injury tent, was taken to the locker room on a golf cart. It’s the same foot in which he had a season-ending Lisfranc injury last season. The Bears ruled him out for the rest of the game shortly before halftime.
The Bears sent in Elijah Hicks and Quindell Johnson in their places.
Hicks was a seventh-round pick last year and has two career starts, while Johnson is an undrafted rookie making his NFL debut. The Bears claimed him off waivers from the Rams shortly before the season.
The Bears have no other safeties on the active roster against the Buccaneers, and backup nickel cornerback Josh Blackwell is out with a hamstring injury.
