The Green Bay Packers play in the toughest division in all of football. As such, the team and its fans are keeping tabs on whatever NFC North rivals do and, perhaps even more closely than others, with the moves the Bears make.
Considering that, they may not be happy with the big splash the Chicago Bears just made in free agency. According to NFL Network insider Tom Pelissero, the Bears just agreed to terms with Super Bowl-winning safety Coby Bryant.
The Bears' Defense Got a Massive Reinforcement with Coby Bryant
The Bears' ailing secondary was one of their main issues last season. Conversely, it was music to Jordan Love's ears, as he's logged a passer rating of 116.6 with 1,202 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 2 interceptions in 6 games against Chicago.
Now, Dennis Allen has added a rising star who was instrumental in the Seahawks' Super Bowl run. Bryant is a turnover machine with seven interceptions over the past couple of years, and he's likely to break out with Al Harris' tutelage, as he's always helped defensive backs thrive and post career highs in interceptions.
The newest member of the Bears' defense was third in picks last season (4), adding seven passes defensed, four tackles for loss, and one forced fumble. He limited opposing passers to a passer rating of 78.4. More than that, Bryant has also become a driving force against the run. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), he logged a 70.3 run defense grade in 332 run defense snaps, logging 14 stops. That may not be as impressive when seen in a vacuum (he ranked 52nd among 98 eligible safeties), but that used to be a flaw in his game.
The Packers, just like seemingly everybody else, used to thrive by picking on Jaquan Brisker. Now, if the Bears also manage to keep Kevin Byard III -- who led the league in interceptions last season -- in town, they might have one of the best safety tandems in the entire league.
The Bears might lose C.J. Gardner-Johnson and could also move on from CB Nahshon Wright in free agency, but none of those would move the needle in the slightest. As for Bryant, he can be a huge headache in the NFC North.
Bears GM Ryan Poles rebuilt the entire offensive line last offseason, and he's now clearly shifted his focus to the other side of the field. The Packers should love their chances against anyone in the NFL, but the Bears are an up-and-coming team that must be respected after the 2025 campaign, and this clearly isn't good news.