The Bears hit their first significant snag of training camp Monday morning, and the sight of starting safety Coby Bryant leaving practice on a cart hit them hard.
The Bears hit their first big snag of training camp Monday morning, and the sight of starting safety Coby Bryant leaving practice on a cart hit them hard.
Bryant landed uncomfortably on his left leg while covering tight end Cole Kmet in a one-on-one drill midway through practice and injured his knee. He suffered a hyperextension, bone bruise and small fracture, which would sideline him 8-10 weeks, a source said, and rule him out for at least the first three games of the season.
The Bears open Sept. 13 at the Panthers followed by games against the Vikings and Eagles. The back end of that projection would put Bryant in question for the Week 5 game against the Packers. It could be worse, but that’s going to hurt.
Bryant knew immediately it was a serious injury. He slammed his helmet down in anger, and teammates came over to check on him as he grabbed his left knee.
It’s a brutal blow to the Bears after he was the centerpiece of their free agency moves. They were frugal this offseason as more talent departed than arrived, and he was a rare splurge coming in from the defending champion Seahawks on a three-year, $40 million deal.
Beyond the financial investment, the Bears have a lot riding on him.
He was brought in to replace Kevin Byard, a Pro Bowl pick and team captain last season, and lead a thin group of safeties alongside first-round pick Dillion Thieneman. That had been going exactly as the Bears envisioned until Monday. Bryant had a terrific interception on a deep ball from quarterback Caleb Williams in the previous practice.
“He’s come in with the juice,” cornerback Tyrique Stevenson said. “When he’s coming out in the middle of the field to [break up passes], he’s a spark plug. He’s bringing that energy every day and he won at the highest level, so he’s not letting nobody slip under the standard.”
Bryant quickly emerged as a vocal leader on defense and said last week he hoped to be voted a captain.
“That’s the mindset I’ve had since I came into the league… that’s something that I take pride in,” he said. “I write my goals out every year and put them on my mirror as a reminder… and that’s something that’s on there for sure.
Newcomer Cam Lewis, who plays cornerback and safety and had 14 starts in six seasons for the Bills, replaced Bryant on Monday. Meanwhile, Bears mainstay Elijah Hicks has been out all camp with what general manager Ryan Poles described as a minor shin injury, and the other backups are Gervarrius Owens (no career starts), Anthony Johnson (one) and Skyler Thomas (undrafted rookie).
The Bears’ secondary can’t withstand much more of this. Starting nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon is out with no clear timetable on his return, and Lewis had been filling his spot before the Bryant injury. Jaylon Jones moved to first-string nickel Monday, and Josh Blackwell is an option as well.
With Bryant out and Gordon’s outlook uncertain, the Bears badly need star cornerback Jaylon Johnson to be at the top of his game coming off a core-muscle injury last season and Thieneman to be as advertised.
Bryant’s injury raises the stakes substantially for Thieneman. He no longer has the advantage of learning from him on the field or the cover to develop in his shadow. The Bears now need to see immediate impact from a player they drafted No. 25 overall.
They appeared to be putting disproportionate resources into safety when they paid Bryant then drafted Thieneman, but not anymore. Just a few days into August, there’s already an emergency, and the Bears’ best hope of managing it is for Thieneman to step up in a hurry.