The Chicago Bears replaced Kevin Byard by signing former Seattle Seahawks safety Coby Bryant to a 3-year deal worth $40 million. Byard had an outstanding season for Chicago, earning All-Pro honors and many expected him to return. Byard eventually would sign a 1-year, $9 million deal with the New England Patriots.
So why did the Bears decide to give more money to Bryant.
Simple. Age.
Byard is going to turn 33 years old this August. It’s impossible to know if Byard can keep up this level of play for this season,
let alone the seasons following. The Bears didn’t want to go year-t0-year with an aging veteran, albeit an excellent one, they decided to go younger and try to bring more stability to the position.
Bryant turns 27 this offseason making him 6 years younger than Byard. He’s an ascending player. A former fourth round pick at cornerback, Bryant is coming off his best season in only his second year as one of Seattle’s starting safeties. He had 7 interceptions over the last two years, just one less than the 8 Byard had his two seasons in Chicago.
With the way the Bears structured Bryant’s contract, his cap number this year will be less than $6 million, a smaller number than Byard’s. Bryant’s expected cap number in 2027 and 2028 is $17 million per season, but, of course, the Bears can rework that contract next year, if need be.
Bryant has flexibility as to where he can play in the secondary which is something Dennis Allen truly loves out of his players and is certainly more flexible in that regard than Byard. His coverage numbers improved greatly this year and he became a key member of the Super Bowl Champion Seahawks secondary.
Honestly, here’s all you need to know. Dennis Allen is a great defensive mind, but you know who is considered the best defensive mind in the league right now? Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Macdonald wanted to re-sign Bryant, but they weren’t able to make the numbers work.
If you wanted a nitpick against the move, it would be that the Bears already have committed money to Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon in the secondary, and their resources could have been focused more on the defensive line.
Bryant is an excellent signing and should excel in Allen’s defensive scheme.
