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The Chicago Bears made a splash with the expected signing of safety Coby Bryant to a three-year, $40 million contract, with $25.75 million guaranteed, on the first day of free agency.
Bryant, a former fourth-round pick in 2022, played a big part of Seattle's Super Bowl run, totaling 66 tackles, four interceptions, seven pass breakups and one forced fumble in 2025. In four years with the Seahawks, Bryant totaled 227 tackles, nine tackles for loss, seven interceptions, 17 pass breakups, seven forced fumbles, two sacks and seven QB hits in 58 games with 34 starts. He's a ballhawk who will slide into the role vacated by Kevin Byard.
Here’s a collection of all of the grades for the Bryant signing from various media outlets, where experts agree that it's a great move for the Bears to shore up a big position of need with a young ballhawk.
Mike Jones: "The Bears add a versatile safety to their secondary. Bryant, a fourth-round pick out of Cincinnati in 2022, last season recorded four interceptions, 66 tackles and seven pass breakups. The newly-crowned Super Bowl champ also forced and recovered a fumble and should fit well with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen."
Zachary Pereles: "The Bears' breakthrough 2025 came on the back of a much-improved offense and a defense that thrived on creating turnovers. Turnover luck is often unpredictable, though, and Chicago knew it needed more versatility and consistency down-to-down. Enter Coby Bryant. A former slot cornerback who thrived when moved to safety, Bryant is aggressive attacking things in front of him, able to cover deep and active all over the place. He adds some major physicality, too."
Pro Football Focus: "Bryant has developed into a solid starting safety over the past two seasons and should be a good fit for the Bears. He earned a 68.0 PFF coverage grade in 2024 and a 67.2 in 2025, powered by four interceptions and four pass breakups this past season. The one concern is that he has missed a lot of tackles, leading to a career-worst 18.7% missed tackle rate in 2025."
Vinnie Iyer: "Chicago had to make some secondary decisions with Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard as key free agents and landed a secret rangy cover star for the Seahawks."
Eric Williams: "Chicago adds a defensive playmaker with a Super Bowl pedigree by signing free agent Coby Bryant. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Selected in fourth round of the 2022 draft by the Seahawks, Bryant arrived in the NFL as a cornerback but successfully converted to safety in 2024. Over the past two seasons, he started 26 games for Seattle, totaling seven interceptions and 139 combined tackles over the period.
"Chicago has four safeties expected to hit free agency — NFL interceptions leader Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Elijah Hicks and Jonathan Owens. Bryant provides a versatile defensive playmaker who improves a team expected to contend for the Super Bowl under second-year head coach Ben Johnson."
Bleacher Report: "The Bears have prioritized their defense on the first day of the legal tampering period. Along with Devin Bush, they've added former Seahawks safety Coby Bryant. Bryant played a variety of roles for Seattle in his four seasons with the club, including cornerback and both safety spots. This past season, he primarily played safety and started 15 games in the regular season, plus all three playoff contests.
"In Chicago, Bryant is likely to continue playing safety. The Bears' top two starting safeties, Kevin Byard III and Jaquan Brisker, are both free agents this offseason. Bryant, who will turn 27 later this month, can fill just about any role Chicago chooses to address. Like Bush, Bryant fits well with the Bears' defensive identity. He recorded seven interceptions over the last two years and allowed an opposing passer rating of only 54.0 in coverage in 2025."
Brendan Sugrue: "There are very few moves in free agency that earn an A letter grade from me, but the signing of Coby Bryant has me very excited for the future of the Bears' secondary. Bryant was decent as a cornerback for the first couple years in the league but has flourished as a safety since 2024. Over the last two seasons, Bryant's interceptions increased while his opposing passing totals decreased...
"As far as his fit goes with the Bears, this signing has Dennis Allen's fingerprints all over it. The defensive coordinator loves to move defensive backs around, and the unit was at its best when he could deploy Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker as chess pieces together. We got a glimpse of that during the divisional round loss against the Los Angeles Rams. With Bryant in the fold, expect to see even more unique packages, even if he primarily plays the free safety position. He and Gordon (assuming he's healthy) could be a nightmare duo for offenses to deal with next year. For what it's worth, Bryant was stellar this past postseason, totaling 10 tackles, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble. It feels as if Bryant is just now hitting his stride and his best football is in front of him. This signing should turn out to be one of Poles' best during his tenure as Bears general manager."
Bryan Perez: "Still, adding a young, ascending safety this early in free agency answers one of the Bears’ most pressing questions. That clarity makes the rest of the Bears’ offseason easier to navigate. Chicago identified a need, targeted a young defender with playmaking traits, and locked him in for multiple seasons. If Bryant becomes the impact safety the Bears believe he can be, this deal could quietly become one of the most important moves of Chicago’s offseason."
Pete Martuneac: "For $40 million over three years, I like this deal a lot. General manager Ryan Poles managed to bring in a young safety in the middle of his prime, fresh off a Super Bowl victory. Bryant is young enough to still bring plenty of juice to the defense but experienced enough now to be considered a leader for a team that has its sights set on a Super Bowl of its own. I will say that my grade is somewhat incomplete until I know who will be starting alongside Bryant, but for now, I give it an A- grade. Bryant was arguably the best safety available, and the Bears got him on a reasonable deal. That's a win in my book."
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears to sign Coby Bryant: Experts hand out grades for Chicago
Continue reading...
Bryant, a former fourth-round pick in 2022, played a big part of Seattle's Super Bowl run, totaling 66 tackles, four interceptions, seven pass breakups and one forced fumble in 2025. In four years with the Seahawks, Bryant totaled 227 tackles, nine tackles for loss, seven interceptions, 17 pass breakups, seven forced fumbles, two sacks and seven QB hits in 58 games with 34 starts. He's a ballhawk who will slide into the role vacated by Kevin Byard.
Here’s a collection of all of the grades for the Bryant signing from various media outlets, where experts agree that it's a great move for the Bears to shore up a big position of need with a young ballhawk.
The Athletic: B
Mike Jones: "The Bears add a versatile safety to their secondary. Bryant, a fourth-round pick out of Cincinnati in 2022, last season recorded four interceptions, 66 tackles and seven pass breakups. The newly-crowned Super Bowl champ also forced and recovered a fumble and should fit well with defensive coordinator Dennis Allen."
CBS Sports: A-
Zachary Pereles: "The Bears' breakthrough 2025 came on the back of a much-improved offense and a defense that thrived on creating turnovers. Turnover luck is often unpredictable, though, and Chicago knew it needed more versatility and consistency down-to-down. Enter Coby Bryant. A former slot cornerback who thrived when moved to safety, Bryant is aggressive attacking things in front of him, able to cover deep and active all over the place. He adds some major physicality, too."
Pro Football Focus: Average
Pro Football Focus: "Bryant has developed into a solid starting safety over the past two seasons and should be a good fit for the Bears. He earned a 68.0 PFF coverage grade in 2024 and a 67.2 in 2025, powered by four interceptions and four pass breakups this past season. The one concern is that he has missed a lot of tackles, leading to a career-worst 18.7% missed tackle rate in 2025."
Sporting News: A
Vinnie Iyer: "Chicago had to make some secondary decisions with Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard as key free agents and landed a secret rangy cover star for the Seahawks."
FOX Sports: A
Eric Williams: "Chicago adds a defensive playmaker with a Super Bowl pedigree by signing free agent Coby Bryant. Terms of the deal have not been disclosed. Selected in fourth round of the 2022 draft by the Seahawks, Bryant arrived in the NFL as a cornerback but successfully converted to safety in 2024. Over the past two seasons, he started 26 games for Seattle, totaling seven interceptions and 139 combined tackles over the period.
"Chicago has four safeties expected to hit free agency — NFL interceptions leader Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Elijah Hicks and Jonathan Owens. Bryant provides a versatile defensive playmaker who improves a team expected to contend for the Super Bowl under second-year head coach Ben Johnson."
Bleacher Report: B+
Bleacher Report: "The Bears have prioritized their defense on the first day of the legal tampering period. Along with Devin Bush, they've added former Seahawks safety Coby Bryant. Bryant played a variety of roles for Seattle in his four seasons with the club, including cornerback and both safety spots. This past season, he primarily played safety and started 15 games in the regular season, plus all three playoff contests.
"In Chicago, Bryant is likely to continue playing safety. The Bears' top two starting safeties, Kevin Byard III and Jaquan Brisker, are both free agents this offseason. Bryant, who will turn 27 later this month, can fill just about any role Chicago chooses to address. Like Bush, Bryant fits well with the Bears' defensive identity. He recorded seven interceptions over the last two years and allowed an opposing passer rating of only 54.0 in coverage in 2025."
Bears Wire: A
Brendan Sugrue: "There are very few moves in free agency that earn an A letter grade from me, but the signing of Coby Bryant has me very excited for the future of the Bears' secondary. Bryant was decent as a cornerback for the first couple years in the league but has flourished as a safety since 2024. Over the last two seasons, Bryant's interceptions increased while his opposing passing totals decreased...
"As far as his fit goes with the Bears, this signing has Dennis Allen's fingerprints all over it. The defensive coordinator loves to move defensive backs around, and the unit was at its best when he could deploy Kyler Gordon and Jaquan Brisker as chess pieces together. We got a glimpse of that during the divisional round loss against the Los Angeles Rams. With Bryant in the fold, expect to see even more unique packages, even if he primarily plays the free safety position. He and Gordon (assuming he's healthy) could be a nightmare duo for offenses to deal with next year. For what it's worth, Bryant was stellar this past postseason, totaling 10 tackles, two pass breakups, and a forced fumble. It feels as if Bryant is just now hitting his stride and his best football is in front of him. This signing should turn out to be one of Poles' best during his tenure as Bears general manager."
Bears Talk: A-
Bryan Perez: "Still, adding a young, ascending safety this early in free agency answers one of the Bears’ most pressing questions. That clarity makes the rest of the Bears’ offseason easier to navigate. Chicago identified a need, targeted a young defender with playmaking traits, and locked him in for multiple seasons. If Bryant becomes the impact safety the Bears believe he can be, this deal could quietly become one of the most important moves of Chicago’s offseason."
Sports Illustrated: A-
Pete Martuneac: "For $40 million over three years, I like this deal a lot. General manager Ryan Poles managed to bring in a young safety in the middle of his prime, fresh off a Super Bowl victory. Bryant is young enough to still bring plenty of juice to the defense but experienced enough now to be considered a leader for a team that has its sights set on a Super Bowl of its own. I will say that my grade is somewhat incomplete until I know who will be starting alongside Bryant, but for now, I give it an A- grade. Bryant was arguably the best safety available, and the Bears got him on a reasonable deal. That's a win in my book."
This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Bears to sign Coby Bryant: Experts hand out grades for Chicago
Continue reading...
