The Chicago Bears suffered a massive loss to their defense on Monday with safety Coby Bryant suffering a knee injury that is expected to keep him out of action for 8-10 weeks.
Bryant was the team's big signing in free agency this offseason, coming over from Seattle where he won a Super Bowl championship with the Seahawks last season, and he was expected to be a big piece of the puzzle for defensive coordinator Dennis Allen this year.
Those expectations have not changed for the Bears or Allen, but they have put on hold until he returns to full health on the football field, according to Chicago's defensive coordinator. Allen recently spoke about Bryant's injury and how the team will pivot without the player who was expected to help lead their secondary.
"Obviously it sucks to lose a guy like that for any particular time," Allen said Tuesday. "He's a big part of what we had planned to do and will still be a big part of what we have planned to do. In all adversity comes also opportunity so it'll be another opportunity for someone to step up. Whether it be somebody in the safety room to step up and take on that role or some of our other guys in the room to step up and become playmakers and leaders for the defense. It's part of football, part of what you deal with, and you move on. Hopefully he'll be on the quicker end and we'll get him back sooner than later."
A lot of the focus at the safety position will now move to rookie first-round pick Dillon Thieneman and veteran Cam Lewis, who will serve as Bryant's replacement.
The Bears drafted Thieneman with the hopes of having him not only work alongside Bryant in a new look secondary at the safety position but also learn from him. Those plans are on hold, but Allen sounds confident that the team will find a way to work through the adversity.
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears DC Dennis Allen reacts to Coby Bryant's injury
