The Chicago Bears dodged a huge bullet with Coby Bryant. The veteran safety was one of their strongest offseason additions, and watching him being carted off the field was a terrible omen for Ben Johnson's team.
Fortunately, while he was in a lot of pain and will have to be on the shelf for a while, this won't be as catastrophic as initially thought. According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, he'll be sidelined for 8-10 weeks with a hyperextended knee, bone bruise, and small fracture.
Barring a shocking turn of events, that timeline states he'll likely miss the first four weeks of the regular season or so. While that might not be the worst-case scenario, it will still put the Bears' secondary to the test.
The Bears will start the season without Coby Bryant
Bryant's addition didn't make as much noise as it should've. However, he's expected to be one of the team's defensive quarterbacks, a proven leader for Dennis Allen's secondary who's fresh off winning a Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks.
He has the ball skills of a cornerback and provides strong play in coverage and against the run. Having him out there can give rookie Dillon Thieneman the freedom to gamble often, knowing that he'll likely be right behind him to cover his back.
Now, the Bears will most likely be without him to face the Carolina Panthers, Minnesota Vikings, Philadelphia Eagles, and New York Jets. That means not having him against the likes of Tetairoa McMillan, Justin Jefferson (and the Vikings' plethora of playmakers), DeVonta Smith, and Garrett Wilson.
Defensive backs coach Al Harris will also have to work overtime to get his new-look secondary up to speed and pick up the slack of Bryant's early-season absence, a challenge that will be way easier said than done.
That also puts even more weight on Kyler Gordon's shoulders. The veteran slot receiver is out with another soft-tissue injury, and with the team's patience seemingly running out, having him out there at nickelback has become even more crucial in the wake of Bryant's injury news.
In the meantime, the Bears will have no choice but to lean on Cam Lewis and Gervarrius Owens. That's far from ideal, and we wouldn't rule out potentially working out some other guys at the position in the next couple of weeks.
They must err on the side of caution with Bryant, as knee injuries can be career-threatening, and they should only get him on the field once he's 100 percent back to full strength.
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