The Chicago Bears are making several more changes to their secondary following a rough stretch of injuries in their second week of 2026 NFL training camp.
According to the team’s official transaction wire, the Bears waived two defensive backs — safety Gervarrius Owens and cornerback K.C. Eziomume — from their 90-man roster with injury designations in a series of roster moves ahead of their August 8 practice.
The Bears also signed safety Brandon Hill, a former Houston Texans draft pick, and cornerback William Wright to their roster, keeping them at the 90-man roster limit.
Owens appeared to suffer a brutal injury during August 6’s practice when he went down in pain on the final snap of the team’s punt drill. According to The Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs, the Bears carted him off the field with what looked “like a left leg issue.”
Now, Hill will take Owens’ place on the roster and attempt to win a depth role in their injury-battered safety rotation. The 2023 seventh-round pick played two games for the Texans as a rookie, but he played just one snap of defense versus 25 on special teams.
The Bears will hold their next camp practice in the afternoon on Sunday, August 9.
Injuries Keep Coming for Bears Secondary in Camp
Owens was squarely on the roster bubble before his injury and won’t be overly difficult to replace for the rest of training camp, but the injuries are starting to problematically pile up for the Bears’ secondary with just two weeks of practice under the team’s belt.
The Bears lost a starting member of their secondary during August 3’s practice when veteran free safety Coby Bryant — who signed a three-year, $40 million deal in March — sustained a significant knee injury that will expectedly sideline him until October.
“Bears safety Coby Bryant is expected to be sidelined [for] eight to 10 weeks due to a hyperextended knee, bone bruise and small fracture that he suffered at [Monday’s] practice, per sources,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported on X. “No surgery is expected to be needed.”
The Bears also lost defensive back Dallis Flowers — who spent nearly all of the 2025 season on the team’s practice squad — to an injury during August 6’s physical practice. The team placed him on injured reserve the next day, effectively ending his season.
There are also the Bears’ pre-camp injuries. Slot cornerback Kyler Gordon remains sidelined — and frustrated — with a calf injury that has slowed him since the spring. Meanwhile, the team’s top backup safety, Elijah Hicks, is still trying to work his way off the active/physically unable to perform (PUP) list after reporting to camp injured.
The Bears signed veteran safety Xavier Woods to bolster their depth before their latest two signings, but more reinforcements could come if the injuries continue to mount.
Cam Lewis Carted Off, Adding More Safety Concerns
The Bears didn’t have much time Saturday to evaluate the new state of their safety room before another notable injury gave way to new concerns about the position as a whole.
According to CHGO’s Adam Jahns, the Bears had to cart veteran safety Cam Lewis — who had been filling in for Bryant with the first-team defense — off the practice field on August 8 after he tangled with wide receiver Rome Odunze and suffered an injury.
Lewis became more valuable to the Bears earlier in the week after Bryant sustained his injury, moving over to cover his snaps with the 1s at safety after previously filling in for Gordon in the nickel role. If Lewis’ injury proves serious, the Bears won’t have three of their top four safeties available, excluding first-round rookie pick Dillon Thieneman.
Outside of Thieneman and Woods, the only other healthy safeties on the Bears’ roster are Anthony Johnson Jr., rookie Skyler Thomas and the newly signed Marlen Sewell.
Bears Cut Ties With Safety After Brutal Injury Amid Roster Moves