Perfect fit for Chicago Bears’ top free agent revealed

The Chicago Bears may be forced to overhaul the secondary in the weeks ahead.

With NFL free agency looming, and general manager Ryan Poles and the Bears currently sitting upwards of $5 million over the salary cap, it’s going to be difficult for Chicago to retain a safety room that includes Jaquan Brisker, Kevin Byard, and C.J. Gardner-Johnson all on the cusp of hitting free agency at once.

While Chicago’s secondary was a driving force behind the defense forcing the most takeaways in the league, it’s likely going to look much different by the end of March than it did walking off the field in mid January after a loss to the Los Angeles Rams in the NFC Divisional Playoffs.

Chicago Bears’ Kevin Byard’s ideal free agency destination revealed

Byard quickly developed into a glue player on the back-end of Chicago’s defense, pulling down a league-high seven interceptions.

The veteran should see a robust market, and according to Pro Football Focus NFL analyst Mason Cameron, the Cincinnati Bengals could be Byard’s most logical destination and ideal fit.

“Much of that comes down to the personnel not fitting the mold,” Cameron writes of Byard, for PFF. “With which Al Golden aims to model his defense after: a single-high structure that plays sticky man coverage. As defensive coordinator at Notre Dame, Golden finished in the top 12 in Cover-1 usage each season, concluding in a staggering 52.3% rate in 2024 — the highest in the nation. If the Bengals hope to resemble that, it starts with the safety position.

“Byard is a true deep center fielder with natural ball-hawking skills. Over the past three seasons, the veteran safety has produced a 90.4 PFF coverage grade as the deep-free and deep-third defender. That capability allows him to make plays on the ball, having secured an NFL-leading seven interceptions for the Bears this past season. His experience would also provide a veteran voice in the coverage unit, something sorely lacking in Cincinnati this past season.”

Cincinnati has a pressing need in the secondary with upwards of $53 million in cap space ahead of the offseason kicking into high gear, which could make a reunion with the Bears difficult to pull off.

Byard would check a lot of boxes for the Bengals, but be a critical piece and difficult one to replace for Poles and Chicago, if he’s allowed to reach the open market and departs via free agency in the weeks to come.

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