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CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – SEPTEMBER 08: General Manager Ryan Poles of the Chicago Bears looks on prior to a game against the Tennessee Titans at Soldier Field on September 08, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
The Chicago Bears have some tough decisions to make this offseason, especially since the team has negative $6.5 million in available cap space as of March 1st, according to OvertheCap.com.
One position of major emphasis this offseason is at safety, where both starters, Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker, are set to be free agents. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune gave his thoughts on both safeties hitting the open market.
Byard: “I get the sense there’s optimism a deal can be struck after his All-Pro season. After he earned $15 million over the last two seasons, I’d expect Byard to get a raise, maybe close to $10 million annually.”
Brisker: “I don’t believe the Bears will try to re-sign him. He should have a healthy market, but this is a position where there are always ample choices with experience.”
That said, the Bears received some great news regarding the safety position after an extremely strong showing by safety prospects at the NFL Combine.
Addressing the Safety Position Shouldn’t Be A Major Concern
Unlike previous drafts, this year’s safety class is relatively strong. NFL draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah had this to say during the NFL Combine.
“Hey Charles [Davis], I got a text from a personnel buddy it said, ‘Tough day for free-agent free safeties.”
Extremely good timing on the Bears’ part, considering the team will likely move on from Brisker, who plays strong safety, and would ideally want to bring back Byard, who plays free safety.
Biggs mentioned giving Byard a pay raise of around $10 million annually, but with how many solid safety prospects there are this year, the Bears could save a couple million dollars bringing him back.
After Jeremiah made that comment, NFL Network’s Rich Eisen added, “I know the Bears don’t draft very high this year, but they don’t have a single safety under contract right now. They gotta be sitting around watching this group going, ‘Ok, not a bad year to be in the safety shopping business.’”
Daniel Jeremiah: “I got a text from a personnel buddy who said, ‘Tough day for free-agent free safeties.’”
Potential Safety Targets in the 2026 NFL Draft
First off, the Bears could surprise a lot of people and draft a safety right off the bat in the first round. However, that’s highly unlikely given the team’s need at defensive tackle and a weaker DT class.
With the top safety prospects like Caleb Downs, Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, and Dillon Thieneman likely gone by the time it gets to the Bears in the second round, some safety prospects to keep an eye on include A.J. Haulcy, Kamari Ramsey, Keionte Scott, Genesis Smith, and Zakee Wheatley.
Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic listed Wheatley and Haulcy as two guys to keep an eye on in Round 2 and had this to say about the Bears’ dilemma at safety.
“Right now, the Bears’ safeties room is empty. Kevin Byard, Jaquan Brisker, Jonathan Owens and Elijah Hicks are all set to be free agents. Poles will have his options, such as re-signing one starter and then adding a veteran, or do what he did in 2022 with Brisker and hope one of this year’s draft picks becomes a long-term starter on the back end of the defense. Even if Byard returns, that would likely be a short-term deal, too.”
It’ll be interesting to see how the Bears address the safety position, but they have a ton of solid options in this year’s draft.
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