Chicago Bears safety Coby Bryant will miss four to six months after undergoing surgery on his injured left knee, coach Ben Johnson announced Tuesday.
Bryant was signed to a $40 million, three-year deal as a free agent this offseason, expected to be a key part of the revamped Chicago secondary.
He was hurt at practice on August 3. ESPN initially reported that he could miss eight to 10 weeks, but the team never confirmed that timeline.
Bryant spent four years with the Seattle Seahawks, where he was the starting free safety for last year's Super Bowl-winning squad.
"He's the template for how we all want our team to play," Johnson said. "He was a big part of offense, defense, and special teams, the mentality, the mindset, his approach. We loved everything about him."
The news comes as the Bears deal with several less serious injuries. Chicago is preparing to host Cleveland on Saturday in its first preseason game.
Wide receiver Luther Burden suffered a groin injury last week and will miss the rest of training camp and the preseason, but will return for the start of the regular season.
Bryant's injury void will be filled by former Dallas and Tennessee safety Xavier Woods, who was signed last week. He intercepted quarterback Caleb Williams in his first full practice.
"He's a veteran player, he's played a lot of football, been in a few different schemes," defensive coordinator Dennis Allen said. "He's been a productive player."
Woods played for Bears defensive backs coach Al Harris in Dallas at the start of his career. "So there's some familiarity there with him," Allen said. "And, I just think, right now, we needed another veteran piece back there in the back end, specifically at the safety position."
Several other Bears players are banged up, including defensive end Montez Sweat, left tackle Braxton Jones, backup safety/cornerback Cam Lewis, and backup safety Elijah Hicks. All of those injuries except for Hicks are considered day-to-day.
Starting slot cornerback Kyler Gordon remains on the physically unable to perform list after a calf injury before training camp. The Bears turned to rookie fourth-round pick Malik Muhammad in the slot last week, and he continues to work with the starters in that role.
Coach Johnson said Bryant had surgery Friday without disclosing details of the injury. He did not rule out the possibility that Bryant would return this season. "I got to see him today," Johnson said. "He's going to be in a hurry to get back to help us out there at the end of the year."
The Bears will need to rely on Woods and other players to fill the void left by Bryant's injury. With the regular season just around the corner, Chicago will be eager to see how its revamped secondary performs without its key player.
Source: Yahoo Sports