People Are Missing Why The Coby Bryant Signing Could Transform The Bears Defense
The Chicago Bears took a considerable risk when they allowed their entire safety group to depart in free agency. Kevin Byard left for New England. Jaquan Brisker went to Pittsburgh, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson signed with Buffalo. All three of those guys played integral roles in helping the Bears make the playoffs last season. People were concerned there was no plan to replace them. Thankfully, general manager Ryan Poles didn’t wait long to react, signing veteran free agent Coby Bryant away from the Seattle Seahawks.
It never seems like a bad thing when you pluck somebody from the defending Super Bowl champions, but fans wondered how much he could help the defense. Initial reaction indicated he was a tough, rangy safety who offered a hybrid mix of good deep coverage and strong run defense. Such versatility was missing for the Bears last season. However, Film Watchers decided to help illustrate just how good Bryant is by showing a play that Byard couldn’t cover last season, but he could thanks to one crucial trait.
Coby Bryant can directly influence the Bears’ biggest problem.
Of the several weaknesses the defense had last season, none stuck out more than Chicago’s inability to prevent big plays. Throughout the 2025 campaign, they allowed a staggering 60 explosive passes. Those are passes of 20 yards or more. Though Byard and Nahshon Wright mitigated the pain from that by intercepting 12 combined passes, it didn’t stop the bleeding. Opposing teams with good speed and/or smart coaching regularly found openings downfield. So when the Bears weren’t picking them off, they were getting gashed.
By contrast, Seattle was excellent at limiting such plays. Their 16.9% explosive play rate on defense was third-best in the NFL. Across the regular season and playoffs, the Seahawks allowed just 40 total. Bryant was a big part of that. His ability to diagnose plays both before and after the snap, along with his respectable speed, allowed him to erase windows often before quarterbacks could fit the ball into them. He may not have always been the center of attention, but his presence was always felt.
The numbers back Bryant up as well.
Last season, he gave up an 82.0 passer rating when targeted for the season. That was good enough to finish 14th in the NFL. He had a 17% forced-incompletion rate. By contrast, Byard allowed an 86.5 passer rating with a 5% forced incompletion rate. This means opponents had far less success targeting Bryant in coverage. Byard may have had three more interceptions (7 to 4), but he also left more open windows. The Bears were willing to sacrifice the slight downturn in turnovers if it meant slowing the flow of big-play opportunities.
It isn’t a bad trade-off. This doesn’t mention that Coby Bryant is also seven years younger than Byard. So they should also get more long-term stability. Pair him with 1st round pick Dillon Thieneman, and you start to see the plan coming together. Having two safeties with their flexibility will allow defensive coordinator Dennis Allen to keep opponents guessing as to what the Bears are doing from snap to snap. It won’t magically make this defense into the NFL’s best, but it does make them more difficult to attack.