The Chicago Bears have very quietly undergone a massive amount of change in the 2026 offseason. While both sides of the ball have had key departures, none have been bigger than the moves Chicago was forced to make in the secondary. The franchise lost a trio of safeties to free agency, with Jaquan Brisker, Kevin Byard, and Jonathan Owens leaving the team. This led to a flurry of signings that has one NFL pundit pointing to Chicago as one of the league's underrated moves.
NFL Insider Jordan Schultz named safety Coby Bryant among his top ten under-the-radar signings. It was noteworthy that Bryant was listed at the top of the list, with the Bears being the only NFC North team making it on Schultz's rankings. It is a fair take with the Super Bowl champion being signed without a lot of media reaction or coverage outside of Chicago.
Bryant is coming off a 2025 season with 48 tackles and four interceptions in a starring role for one of the league's most dominating defensive units. This was on full display in Seattle's blowout Super Bowl win over the New England Patriots. Now, the Bears have stolen one of the most important pieces that helped author this run.
For Bryant, you're stepping from one ideal situation into another, joining the defense of Dennis Allen and a young team with Super Bowl expectations. The signing was clearly underrated and points to the incredible job the Chicago front office has done retooling the team's defense.
Bears Safety Coby Bryant Pointed to as Underrated 2026 Free Agent Signing
Schultz calling out Chicago's signing is a reminder of the work the team has done in the offseason to both embrace its young core and bring in accomplished pieces. Bryant is a great addition who will attack the football and help offset the losses in the Chicago secondary.
If there is one concern with Bryant that must be noted, it is missed tackles, with the veteran whiffing 17 times in the 2025 season. It was among the league's worst at the position and leaves a clear area of concern that Allen and the coaching staff are going to need to work on. Still, Bryant's ability to play the ball and past tackling suggests that this is a very limited problem that can be dealt with.
For the Bears, the defensive retool has been an underrated aspect of the team's offseason as a whole. It isn't just the signing of Bryant, but working to bring back key pieces while mixing in new talent from free agency and this year's draft class. It has been an incredible effort setting the Bears up to defend their NFC North title and clearly be considered among the league's elite heading into the 2026 season.
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