The Chicago Bears made it a priority to upgrade the defense in free agency and did so by adding safety Coby Bryant. Here's what head coach Ben Johnson believes he will add to the defense.
Coby Bryant understands what it looks like to be a part of an elite defense.
Before joining the Chicago Bears in free agency, the safety helped the Seattle Seahawks shut down the New England Patriots en route to a 29-13 victory in Super Bowl LX.
On the NFL's biggest stage, Bryant wasn't targeted once and made three total tackles. Zooming out to his 2025 season (including the playoffs), Bryant allowed 18 receptions on 29 targets for 232 yards and three touchdowns and also secured four interceptions.
Opposing offenses didn't have much success against the 6-foot-1, 193-pound safety, and that's part of the reason why he signed a three-year, $40million contract with the Bears.
Head coach Ben Johnson told reporters at the 2026 NFL owners meetings that he hasn't been around Bryant too much, but he's already established that the former Super Bowl champion has an "it factor" to him.
When Johnson and defensive coordinator Dennis Allen did their self scouting over the last month or so, the two come away with a distinct observation.
"The best defenses usually have two or three trained killers," Johnson said. "You usually don't have 11 of them, but you got two or three that are tone setters that can really elevate the play of everyone around them. When we watched the tape, we felt like that jumped off when Coby was on the field. He's a guy that comes out whether he's playing quarters, playing the post, playing down in the box, he's coming down and if he sees somebody, he's looking to light them up."
For a defensive player to be viewed in the way that Johnson and Allen see Bryant, there is arguably no higher praise. Now the Bears have one of three "trained killers" a part of a unit that needed more of these tone-setting pieces.
Johnson also mentioned that he feels there are areas in his game that Bryant can improve, which can be said about every player on the roster, but Bryant's play style gives him a solid foundation to mesh with his new teammates, according to the Bears' head coach.
Bryant will have big shoes to fill on defense with Kevin Byard III leaving in free agency to join the New England Patriots. Johnson called Bryant "one of the best leaders" he's been around on the defensive side of the ball. During the exit interviews, many players told Johnson about the impact Byard had on them.
If Bryant plays to the level he's show in the past, then his new teammates will have similar words to say about the impact safety roaming the backend of the Bears' defense.