Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson set the record straight on safety Coby Bryant following a serious injury the team’s most expensive free agent suffered during training camp earlier this week.
Bryant sustained a hyperextension, bone bruise and small fracture in his left knee during a coverage play against tight end Cole Kmet. Initial reports indicated that Bryant would miss between 8-10 weeks. However, Johnson said that timeline didn’t come from the organization.
“I don’t where you guys got that — hasn’t been said here,” Johnson told reporters on Thursday, August 6, per Josina Anderson. “I’ll let you guys know whenever we know for sure what it looks like for him.”
Coby Bryant Could Be Back Earlier Than Initial Reports Indicated
GettyChicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson.
Whether Johnson means that Bryant could be back sooner, or that he might be out longer, was not immediately clear.
However, Harrison Graham of “Chicago Bears Now” suggested after listening to Johnson’s comments in their entirety that Bryant may be trending toward the former rather than the latter.
“Reading between the lines, I think they’re hopeful it could be a little sooner,” Graham posted to X.
Were Bryant to miss eight weeks, he might be back as early as Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles. A 10-week absence would mean a potential return in Week 5 vs. the Green Bay Packers.
If Graham’s hunch is correct and the timeline might be faster than that, a six-week absence (or less) could see Bryant back in the starting lineup for the season opener against the Carolina Panthers on September 13.
That outcome would prove an absolute boon for the Bears, who spent $40 million to sign Bryant away from the Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks defense on a three-year contract this offseason and are already dealing with health issues in the secondary in the form of a soft tissue injury to nickel cornerback Kyler Gordon.
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