Bears get awful 4-6 month injury news on Coby Bryant after $40M contract

The Chicago Bears revamped a few different areas of their defense this offseason, one of the most notable was their safety exchange.

Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard both left the team in free agency, joining the Pittsburgh Steelers and New England Patriots, respectively. Replacing them were rookie safety Dillon Thieneman and $40 million free agent signing Coby Bryant.

Unfortunately for the Bears, Bryant got hurt, and it wasn't a minor one. ESPN's Adam Schefter confirmed the latest for Bryant, revealing an awful 4-6 month injury recovery update for Bryant as his knee surgery this summer will keep him out a long time.

Coby Bryant to miss 4-6 months amid knee surgery

"Bears S Coby Bryant underwent knee surgery and now will miss 4-6 months," Schefter reports. "Bears are hoping he can return for the playoffs."

This is such an unfortunate blow for the Bears and Bryant, as the former Seattle Seahawks Super Bowl champion safety signed a three-year, $40 million deal this offseason with the Bears.

But now, Bryant is going to miss his entire debut season with the Bears. If he is out four months from now, which is the minimum Schefter set for Bryant's timeline, that means Bryant wouldn't return until mid-to-late December at the absolute earliest.

In reality, Bryant's season is more than likely over. He could come back in time for the playoffs, which would be great if the Bears can manage to get there without Bryant in the defensive backfield.

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This is a massive loss for the Bears' secondary, as Bryant was one of the better safeties in the NFL last season, hauling in four interceptions in 15 games with seven pass deflections and 66 tackles with four tackles for loss and a very impressive 54.0 passer rating allowed.

The 27-year-old safety is now going to miss quite a lot of time, somewhere between 4 and 6 months. His 2026-2027 season isn't over just yet, as he could still return in time for the playoffs.

But, this is some absolutely brutal news for the Bears and Bryant, as their big free-agent pickup is now slated to miss most, if not all, of the regular season.

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