Teams don’t normally get better when allowing a First Team All-Pro to leave, but that’s exactly what the Chicago Bears are hoping for this offseason with the addition of safety Coby Bryant to replace Kevin Byard III.
These two are at very different places in their careers, with the 27-year-old Bryant beginning year five as a pro, and Byard, who turns 33 next month, about to enter his eleventh season. Bryant is younger, more athletic, and more versatile, but does that translate to him being a better
football player?
Byard may have lost a step, but he more than made up for it in leadership and experience. Bryant is coming off a successful run with the Seattle Seahawks, where he just won a Super Bowl, and that ring brings a level of esteem as well.
“He’s one of those guys, he knows what good football and bad football looks like,” head coach Ben Johnson recently said via the team’s site. “He just came from a Super Bowl-winning team. There’s a premium on that experience. I think that easily resonates with all the guys in the locker room. I think there’s an instant amount of respect that he’s garnered because of that.”
Byard immediately embraced a leadership role as a Bear, and he was selected as a team captain both years in Chicago. As fans, we saw Byard’s on-field leadership, but he was just as vocal in the locker room. It’s not fair to expect Bryant to take up all that slack, but considering he’s paired with rookie safety Dillon Thieneman, the example he sets will make a difference.
“When you watch him on the practice field, he really comes to life,” Ben Johnson continued when talking about Bryant. “DA (defensive coordinator Dennis Allen) showed a clip to the defense this morning, just of him coming out of the post safety position and rallying to the football. It was all over his tape in Seattle, and that’s what we’re getting right now. I think it’s contagious.”
Chicago’s acquisition of Bryant was recently named one of the 25 best moves of the offseason by Bleacher Report’s Moe Moton, and Moton brought some interesting numbers to support his selection.
In free agency, the Chicago Bears lost three-time All-Pro Kevin Byard, but they signed a 27-year-old ascending ball hawk in Coby Bryant. He played a key role in the Seattle Seahawks’ Super Bowl-winning defense, recording four interceptions and seven pass breakups while allowing one touchdown and a 54 passer rating in coverage. For comparison, Byard allowed seven touchdowns and a 98.6 passer rating last year.
The Bears upgrade at safety.
Bryant was given a three-year, $40 million deal to be a centerpiece of Chicago’s defense, and so far, he’s lived up to the expectations.
Both Johnson and defensive backs coach Al Harris said that Bryant has the “it factor,” with Harris adding, “He’s been great, leadership-wise, and just everything.”
Do you think Bryant will be an upgrade over what Byard did in 2025?
