Coby Bryant was the Chicago Bears' headline offseason acquisition. After four years with the Seattle Seahawks, the 27-year-old safety signed a three-year, $40 million deal with the Bears, adding a veteran voice with championship pedigree to Chicago's secondary.

Bryant had just helped win a Super Bowl in Seattle and was coming off one of the best individual seasons of his career, recording 66 combined tackles, including four tackles for loss, seven pass deflections, a forced fumble, and a career-high four interceptions.

Unfortunately, Bryant landed awkwardly during a one-on-one drill at training camp on Aug. 3, hyperextending his left knee and suffering a bone bruise along with a small fracture. Initial reports pegged his recovery at roughly two to three months, with an expected return around the midpoint of the 2026 season. But it's now looking like the timeline will be much longer.

Head coach Ben Johnson announced Tuesday that Bryant underwent knee surgery late last week and is now expected to be out four to six months. That would put his return date anywhere from December to February — potentially well into the postseason, assuming Chicago gets there without him.

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This is a significant blow for the Bears. Bryant is in the prime of his career and was expected to anchor the secondary alongside All-Pro cornerback Jaylon Johnson, former second-round pick Kyler Gordon, and rookie first-rounder Dillon Thieneman. Chicago still has a solid rotation of defensive backs, but not getting Bryant back until late in the regular season — and potentially deep into the playoffs — could seriously complicate the team's chances of replicating last year's success.

The Bears remain in one of the NFL's toughest divisions, and their final three games of the regular season all come against NFC North rivals, making them critical for playoff seeding or qualification altogether.

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