The Chicago Bears splurged on a Super Bowl-winning safety in free agency, but it will be awhile until fans see the newly-acquired Bear on the field.
Coby Bryant, a 27-year-old year old starting safety on the Seattle Seahawks last year, signed a three-year, $40 million deal with Chicago in the offseason as a replacement for Kevin Byard III (who signed with the New England Patriots) in the secondary.
Bryant is a flexible player in the back-end, able to play safety and hang in at corner if needed. He has range and good ball skills from his typical free safety position - his seven interceptions since 2024 are tied for the tenth-most in the league.
Unfortunately, Chicago's new toy will be out for 4-6 months after undergoing knee surgery, head coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday. The earliest he'll return is sometime in December, though it's also a possibility that he misses the entire season.
For a defense that covered its talent deficiencies (27th in yards allowed) with an inordinate amount of takeaways last year (1st with 33), losing Bryant is big.
Look for rookie Dillon Thieneman and former Buffalo Bill Cam Lewis start at strong and free safety, respectively, with the absence of Bryant.
Chicago is +320 to win the NFC North, +1400 to win the NFC, and +2500 to win it all next year on bet365.
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