Coby Bryant might not play his first snaps for the Chicago Bears until midway through the 2026 season after his latest knee injury, but the 27-year-old safety is already promising to return “stronger” despite his unfortunate setback.
The Bears received a crushing injury blow to start the second week of their 2026 NFL training camp when Bryant — their most expensive outside free-agent signing of the offseason — suffered a significant knee injury during one-on-one drills in practice.
According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Bryant hyperextended his left knee and suffered both a bone bruise and a small fracture in August 3’s practice. While Bryant managed to avoid surgery, the injury will expectedly sideline him for eight to 10 weeks.
In other words, the Bears won’t have their new $40 million safety available for their defense for at least the first few games of the 2026 season — and maybe longer.
Bryant seems to have no doubts about his ability to return and “have a great season” for the Bears, though, as he indicated his first comments about the injury on August 4.
“Thank you for all the prayers & love!” Bryant wrote Tuesday on X. “God makes no mistakes & I’ll be back stronger. Can’t wait to be back out there with my brothers & have a great season! Much love & [Bear Down].”
When Could Coby Bryant Return to Play for Bears?
Schefter’s report indicates that the Bears will start the regular season without Bryant on the field, but when exactly might we expect him back to make his debut for Chicago?
While the Bears will play their third game of the season exactly eight weeks from the date of Bryant’s knee injury, it seems likelier that he will return closer to the 10-week mark. The big question is whether the Bears will place him on the injured reserve list to begin the regular season, which would mandate a four-game absence at a minimum.
If the Bears don’t place Bryant on injured reserve, then perhaps Week 3 against the Philadelphia Eagles — the eight-week mark — is realistic for his return to the lineup.
A move to injured reserve, however, would mean that Bryant could not return for the Bears until Week 5’s road game against the Green Bay Packers on October 11 — and that is assuming that the Bears don’t slow-roll him back over his 21-day activation window.
In either case, Bryant’s status will remain of intrigue until the 53-man roster cutdown.
Bears’ Moves Hint at Replacing Coby Bryant Internally
The Bears are losing a significant piece with Bryant. They signed him to a three-year, $40 million contract in March to come in and replace 2025 Pro Bowler Kevin Byard III as their starting free safety, trusting in the ability he showed with the Seattle Seahawks.
Bryant also showed quite a bit of that ability early on in camp, as ESPN’s Ben Solak took the time to note in his write-up about his August 1 visit to the Bears’ training camp:
“He was everywhere Saturday,” Solak wrote of Bryant. “His interception on Caleb Williams’ deep throw to Maurice Alexander was a thing of beauty. As Williams read the Bears’ split-field coverage and loaded to throw the seam route to Alexander, Bryant whipped out of his angle and drove to the middle of the field, tracking the ball better than Alexander and catching it at extension. He had two more pass breakups on the day, including a driving deflection on a crossing pattern from Rome Odunze.”
Even still, the Bears have shown no indication of looking outside of their building in free agency or trades for someone to replace Bryant in their lineup — at least not yet.
The Bears signed a new safety on Tuesday, but the newcomer — Marlen Sewell — is an undrafted rookie who could prove little more than a camp body while they deal with injuries. That suggests that the Bears believe an answer to their Bryant problem can come from within, whether it be veteran Cam Lewis or Elijah Hicks once he is healthy.
Lewis took over Bryant’s snaps in Tuesday’s first practice without him, but the Bears may keep the situation fluid over the next few weeks as they seek out the best solution.
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