The Chicago Bears will need to start thinking about some replacements in the secondary with the contracts that are expiring. 

Others like Olamide Zaccheas, Braxton Jones, Theo Benedet, Jonathan Owens, C.J. Gardner-Johnson and Nahshon Wright are hitting the free agent market. Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker's contracts are up as well. 

While Byard and Brisker have both been very public with their intentions of wanting to stay in Chicago, both players re-signing with the franchise isn't guaranteed. 

Byard and Brisker are both coming off career years, making things even harder since their market value is going to increase. Byard led the NFL with seven interceptions, and Brisker finished with 93 total tackles, one interception, one sack and one TFL. 

The Bears have the 25th overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft. Here is a list of some potential replacements from the Senior Bowl via Barroom Network's Aldo Gandia:

Skyler Thomas looks to have a similar playing style to Brisker. 

He finished with over 75 total tackles the last two seasons at Oregon State. With how high Brisker's market value is going to be, Thomas could be a good replacement for the Swiss Army Knife. 

Thomas is a proven tackler and also finished with three interceptions during his four years with the Beavers. 

Emmanuel McNeil-Warren has an innate ability to force turnovers. 

He ended his college career with nine forced fumbles and five interceptions. Pairing him up with defensive backs coach Al Harris could increase his turnover-forcing production even more. 

Harris was behind the season that Byard had, and having a player like McNeil-Warren to work with would be exciting to watch. 

McNeil-Warren has even shown the ability to take interceptions back for six points in the past. 

V.J. Payne is another safety to catch tabs on. 

He he 207 total tackles, four interceptions and four forced fumbles at Kansas State from 2022-25. 

The 6-foot-3 safety brings plenty of experience with him, playing in 52 games and having a streak of 41 consecutive starts.  

Zakee Wheatley is a versatile prospect who has spent time playing both corner and safety in college. 

He started his college career at corner, but moved to safety in his second year, and it paid dividends. Having spent time at both positions adds to his value, making him worth consideration. 

The Bears could definitely use a player of his skills. 

When healthy, Kamari Ramsey has a knack for getting into the backfield and disrupting offenses. 

He started his college career at UCLA in 2022 and then transferred to USC in 2024. He had eight combined TFLs from 2023-24. However, he missed time due to injury last season and played in nine games for the Trojans in 2025. 

In a perfect world, both Byard and Brisker will be back with the Bears. However, that's not how the NFL works.