It’s a major blow for the Chicago Bears knowing that their big-ticket free-agent signing, safety Coby Bryant, will not be good to go for the start of the 2026 NFL season.
According to NFL insider Adam Schefter, Bryant is slated to miss 8-10 weeks due to a hyperextended knee, bone bruise, and a small fracture that he suffered during practice on August 3rd.
“It always sucks to see,” tight end Colston Loveland said regarding Bryant’s injury. “That’s part of it. You know, he’s tough, he’s a dog. He’s going to be fine.”
The good news is that he won’t need surgery and won’t miss the entire season, but nonetheless, the Bears could use some reinforcements, and one option could include former 2019 first-round pick Darnell Savage.
Why the Bears Should Look to Sign Darnell Savage While Coby Bryant Recovers
The Bears could easily just look at who they already have on the roster to fill in while Coby Bryant is out, but the problem is Chicago is already thin on the secondary.
ESPN’s Courtney Cronin put things into perspective, saying, “From a timeline perspective of when Bryant is due back, it obviously could have been a lot worse. But here are the facts: Elijah Hicks, their top backup, is on PUP. If they move Cam Lewis over to safety that creates a hole at nickel, where they’re already without Kyler Gordon indefinitely. Dillon Thieneman is a rookie. There are exactly 0 snaps of NFL game experience between the other safeties they have on the roster – Gervarrius Owens, Skyler Thomas and Anthony Johnson, Jr.”
Accounting for all of that, the Bears will likely have to bring in some help, and signing Darnell Savage wouldn’t cost Chicago a whole lot either.
Despite being a former first-round selection, he never quite lived up to the hype and has bounced around the league after spending his first five seasons in Green Bay, but he’s still young (29 years old) and does have experience with 371 total tackles, one sack, three forced fumbles, and 10 interceptions spanning across 97 career games.
The Bears could sign him to a veteran minimum contract of $1.3 million for one year and move on to focus on other positions of need on the roster.
Questions Surface Regarding Bears’ Defensive Build
GettyMINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – NOVEMBER 16: Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen of the Chicago Bears looks on against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium on November 16, 2025 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Ellen Schmidt/Getty Images)
Whether the Bears go out and sign Darnell Savage to fill in while Coby Bryant is recovering is one thing. The bigger question is general manager Ryan Poles’ game plan when it came to constructing the defense.
A lot of Bears fans plead that Chicago has done little to improve the defensive line, yet Poles is arguing that it’s not as big of an issue as it may seem, saying, “The [defensive] line helps the back end more often than not. In this situation, we have good corners and good safeties. We can be in a position where we can have the [opposing] quarterback hold the ball a little longer.”
What happens when those good corners and safeties are battling injuries? The ripple effect leads straight up to the defensive line, where they are already struggling to get to the quarterback.
Now, the Bears are left with more problems than answers.
Bears Should Go After Former First-Round Pick Amid Coby Bryant News