March 21, 2026, 9:03 a.m. CT
The Chicago Bears added a playmaker in safety Coby Bryant on the first day of free agency, filling an important hole following the free-agent departures of Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker.
Bryant, who converted from cornerback to safety with the Seattle Seahawks just a couple of seasons ago, played a key role in the Seahawks’ Super Bowl run in 2025. He totaled 66 tackles, four interceptions, seven pass breakups and one forced fumble. Bryant signed a three-year, $40 million contract with the Bears, bringing his playmaking ability to Chicago.
General manager Ryan Poles explained what stood out about Bryant when evaluating him during the free-agent process, which included his impressive “play style.” He also revealed that Bryant was highly-sought after and the Bears were able to steal him away from the Seahawks.
“He plays fast, instincts jump off the tape, his ability to anticipate,” Poles said. “Like I said before, we’re looking for guys that are passionate about ball. You can see that in his body language and how he moves. Anytime you bring a player in and your phones go off, coaches, front office, on how pissed off Seattle was at not have in back, but also how fortunate we are to have a guy like this in our building. That’s what you normally hear. That’s exactly what happened. We’re fired up. Anytime you’re in these positions, it’s crazy how fast time goes by because it wasn’t that long ago in the draft process, he was the guy that we got excited about. Jeff (Shiver), one of our veteran scouts, was on the table doing jumping jacks for him and he’s excited to have him on the team now. It’s great.”
Bryant proved to be a ballhawk during his time with Seattle, including a career-high four interceptions in 2025. Now, Bryant will have an opportunity to thrive in Dennis Allen’s physical defense that led the NFL in takeaways (33) and interceptions (23) last season.
Need a news break? Check out the all new PLAY hub with puzzles, games and more!
Follow Bears Wire on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram