LAKE FOREST, Ill. – The Bears placed safety Jaquan Brisker on injured reserve, the team announced on Thursday afternoon.

The third-year pro has missed four games since suffering a concussion in a Week 5 win over Carolina and was already ruled out of Sunday’s game against Green Bay while dealing with symptoms of the injury.

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He has been in the league’s concussion protocol all this time.

The decision to place him on IR means he’ll miss at least four more games before becoming eligible to return.

This is not the first time Brisker has dealt with a concussion. He has suffered one in each of his three NFL seasons. He spent extend stints in the concussion protocol after each one.

Brisker was evaluated for a concussion during the Bears-Panthers game, when he made helmet-to-helmet contact with tight end Tommy Tremble, but was cleared for a return to play. He self-reported symptoms on Monday and was diagnosed with a concussion at that time.

He did not travel with the team to London and has not played since.

The Bears kept him on the active roster for a long time, in hopes he would be cleared for a return to play. This move suggests the team doesn’t expect he’ll be cleared soon.

Elijah Hicks has been a three-down starter in Brisker’s stead and will continue in a role playing alongside Kevin Byard III, but losing a player of Brisker’s quality for an extended stretch is a blow to the Bears defense.