One year after having every returning safety signed through the upcoming season, the Chicago Bears now find themselves with none who played last year under contract.
This is an opportunity to re-work the room specifically for defensive coordinator Dennis Allen and get the exact type of player he prefers at the position.
Here are Chicago’s current safeties.
Kevin Byard III – Free agent – The Bears need to bring Byard back. Sure, he’ll be 33 this August, but he’s still playing at an All-Pro level, and
he’s never missed a game to injury in his 10-year career. His skill set, experience, and leadership make him a no-brainer.
Byard said he’d like to be back in Chicago, even calling it his “first option,” but he also seems willing to let the business play itself out.
“With the success that we all had this season as a team, I think a lot of guys on this team are going to be coveted around this league, honestly,” he said via the Chicago Sun Times. “And I think the same way the organization is always going to do what’s best for the team, I think I owe that to my family as well.”
Byard said there is “mutual interest,” so something close to the 2-year, $15,000,000 he inked with the Bears in 2024 should get it done.
Jaquan Brisker – Free agent- For the first time in his four-year career, Brisker played in every game. He had 93 tackles, 8 passes defended, an interception, and a sack. There hasn’t been any buzz about Brisker coming back to the Bears, so I wonder if they plan on letting him walk.
Jonathan Owens – Free agent – Owens shared a post on his social media accounts that made it seem he was saying goodbye to Chicago.
Elijah Hicks – Free agent – Hicks was a seventh-round pick in 2022, and he has 15 starts in 61 career games. Last year, he played only 62 snaps on defense, but he played a career-high 309 snaps on special teams. I can see Hicks back to compete for a reserve role.
Gervarrius Owens – Signed through 2026 – The Bears signed Owens to a reserve/futures deal after he spent all 2025 on their practice squad. The former seventh-round pick has played in five games in his career.
2026 OUTLOOK – I can’t see the Bears letting Byard, their defensive captain, sign elsewhere, but I think Brisker may have played his last snap in Chicago.
ESPN’s Matt Bowen feels Los Angeles Rams’ Kam Curl is a good fit in Chicago.
In coordinator Dennis Allen’s defense, Curl (who had two picks with the Rams in 2025) can play as an interchangeable safety and improve the Bears’ run defense. And don’t be surprised if the team brings back Byard to join him, too.
A couple of other safety free agents the Bears could be interested in are Jalen Thompson of the Arizona Cardinals and Coby Bryant of the Seattle Seahawks.
Another option is re-signing C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who filled in at nickel for the Bears in 2025, but was the Eagles’ starting safety for their Super Bowl run in 2024. He won’t be very expensive, but would provide depth at two positions.
Most mock drafts have the Bears going d-line at 25, but there are a couple of recent ones that have the Bears going safety in round one with Emmanuel McNeil-Warren of Toledo and Dillon Thieneman from Oregon.
I would rather the Bears sign a veteran to pair with Byard and then, in the draft, stick with the trenches early but draft a safety later.
What do you think happens at safety this offseason?
