Coby Bryant didn’t need a long speech to answer the latest NFL rankings. He only needed three words.
When Bears fans tagged the new Chicago safety after ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler left him out of the top 10 in his latest positional survey, Bryant fired back with a blunt reply:
"They gone see."
That was enough to set the tone. Bryant, who signed with Chicago this offseason, has already made it clear he’s not interested in the outside noise.
The rankings chatter came after Fowler’s survey series wrapped up with safeties, where Bryant did receive a positive quote from an NFL coordinator but still didn’t crack the top 10. Bears fans noticed, and one supporter tagged him online hoping "that instilled a different level of anger and motivation" in the new member of the team.
Bryant’s response matched the moment.
He’s coming off a productive season with the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, where he played in 15 games and finished with 66 tackles, seven pass deflections, four tackles for loss, a career-high four interceptions, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. Pro Football Focus gave him a 65.5 overall grade and ranked him 45th among 98 eligible safeties in 2025.
Chicago clearly believes there’s more in the tank. The Bears lost both starting safeties in free agency, with All-Pro Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker both departing. Even though the team could have brought those veterans back, it chose a different path and handed Bryant a three-year, $40 million contract to help reset the secondary.
That reset was badly needed. Last season, Chicago ranked 22nd in pass defense, giving up 227.2 yards per game. The overall numbers were even rougher, with the Bears finishing 29th in total defense at 361.8 yards allowed per game.
The team also added rookie Dillon Thieneman in the first round of the 2026 NFL Draft, giving Bryant a new running mate at safety. Chicago is hoping the pair can stay together for at least three years, and maybe longer.
On paper, Bryant gives the Bears something different than what they got from Byard and Brisker last season. Byard had the edge in turnovers, but Bryant was the steadier cover man. PFF credited Bryant with allowing a 78.4 passer rating, compared with 85.3 for Byard.
The tape backs up that profile. Bryant reads the ball well, trusts his instincts, and gets to the right spot. He may not pile up the same interception or pass breakup totals as Byard, but he’s built to limit completions and cut down on the kind of long gains Chicago gave up too often a year ago.
The Bears know they needed more youth and more consistency on the back end. Bryant looks like a player ready to deliver both - and he’s already promised the doubters they’ll find out soon enough.
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