The cat is out of the bag, and the Chicago Bears have lost their star safety Coby Bryant for four to six months. It's a devastating blow that could end up having dire consequences for the Team, but it's better that this type of thing happens now. Coby Bryant wasn't merely a depth chart piece that the Bears happened to pick up in the offseason. He was their marquee signing during the offseason, and it became increasingly clear that the Bears intended to rebuild their entire secondary around him.
"Coby's the template for how we all want our team to play. Like this is, he was a big part of offense, defense, and special teams, the mentality, the mindset, his approach. We loved everything about him. And so, yeah, it certainly takes us back a little bit, but it also provides opportunity for other guys to fill that void. And it might be guys that we hope to prod along a little bit, might be other guys that just naturally gravitate to that."Ben Johnson
The initial reporting told the public that the standout safety was projected to miss eight to ten weeks. It's would have been a set back, but with the buffer of Spring Training, this would have only meant Bryant would have missed the first few weeks of the season. He has enough experience under his belt to not need preseason reps. Now, the reporting says four to six months after surgery to repair a hyper extended knee and a bone bruise.
As coach Johnson's comments indicated, Bryant exemplified the mindset and approach that the Bears want from all of their players. As one of the only guys around with Super Bowl experience, his leadership was expected to be a cornerstone of the Bears defense. Most of all, Bryant was expected to be a mentor and leader for the exciting newcomer Dillon Thieneman. With Bryant now out of the picture, much of the pressure now falls to Thieneman to perform.
Thieneman may be the player asked to replace Bryant in the secondary, but the rookie cannot be expected to fill the entire void by himself. If Bryant truly represented the Bears’ template, Johnson needs the rest of the roster to prove that his standard didn't leave the field with him.
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