The following is the eighth of nine position previews in advance of training camp.
The Bears prioritized the safety position both in free agency and the draft, signing veteran Coby Bryant and selecting Dillon Thieneman with the 25th pick in the first round.
Bryant arrives after spending his first four NFL seasons with the Seahawks, appearing in 58 games with 34 starts and recording 227 tackles, nine tackles-for-loss, seven interceptions, 17 pass breakups and seven forced fumbles.
All seven of Bryant's interceptions have come in the last two seasons after he switched from cornerback to safety. Last year, he established career highs with four picks and seven pass breakups in helping Seattle win the Super Bowl.
"There's speed, there's a level of aggression, there's mental toughness," said general manager Ryan Poles. "The guy plays the game the right way and with the right mentality, with a little violence to it. As we continue to collect more guys and guys can elevate to play that style of football, the better off we'll be."
Coach Ben Johnson views Bryant as a tone-setter who will bring a nasty disposition to coordinator Dennis Allen's defense.
"It's something that 'DA' brought up … the best defenses usually have two or three trained killers," Johnson said. "You usually don't have 11 of them, OK, but you've got two or three that are tone-setters that can really elevate the play of everyone around him. When we watched the tape, we felt like that jumped off when Coby was on the field. He's a guy that comes out, whether he's playing quarters, playing the post, playing down in the box, he's coming down, and if he sees somebody, he's looking to light them up."
Thieneman appealed to the Bears because he possesses tremendous speed, versatility and football character. He ran a 4.35 in the 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and can play both strong and free safety as well as nickel back.
"Dillon's tape popped out," Poles said after the draft. "Just the sense of urgency that he plays with, the play speed … his ability to close on the football, both in the run and the pass stood out really, really quick. The guy's obsessed with football. He's extremely fast, a great leader, violent in the way that he plays the game; everything that we're looking for."
Thieneman appeared in 39 games over three seasons at Purdue (2023-24) and Oregon (2025), registering 306 tackles, eight interceptions, 14 pass breakups, 10.0 tackles-for-loss, 2.0 sacks and two forced fumbles.
Watching Thieneman's college tape, Allen noticed that the first-round pick was always around the ball.
"Obviously you can see his athleticism on tape, but I just think the biggest thing was he found his way his way around the ball a lot," said the veteran defensive coordinator. "And to be able to do that, there has to be some intelligence about him and there has to be some instincts about him. And I think that was the first thing.
"When you're looking at college safeties or safeties in general, it's a production position. And that production can come in a lot of different ways, whether it's tackles or interceptions or PBUs or any of those types of things. But safety is a position that you find your way around the ball, the best ones do, and I thought that showed up with him."
Two mainstays in the secondary, cornerback Jaylon Johnson and nickel back Kyler Gordon, look to rebound after being hampered by injuries last season. After two straight Pro Bowl selections in 2023-24, Johnson underwent core muscle surgery and was limited to seven games in 2025. Gordon played in only three regular-season contests but returned to appear in both playoff games.
Cornerback Tyrique Stevenson, a 2023 second-round selection, returns for a fourth season. Last year he appeared in 13 games with 10 starts, compiling 49 tackles, one interception, 10 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
Also competing at cornerback this summer will be returning veterans Josh Blackwell, Jaylon Jones and Terell Smith and rookie fourth-round choice Malik Muhammad II, among others.
Blackwell played only three snaps on defense last season but was a valuable member of the special teams unit. He blocked a late field goal attempt that preserved a win over the Raiders and recovered a key onside kick in a win over the Packers that propelled the Bears to the NFC North title.
Jones has been a key special teams performer as well, tying for third with 12 tackles last season. Smith, a 2023 fifth-round pick, returns after missing all of last season with a knee injury he sustained in a preseason game.
Muhammad appeared in 41 games with 29 starts over three seasons at Texas, recording 97 tackles, three interceptions, 16 pass breakups, 3.5 tackles-for-loss and 1.0 sack. Last season, the 6-foot, 182-pounder played 11 games and registered 30 tackles, two interceptions and four pass breakups.
The Bears targeted Muhammad in the draft due to his speed—he ran a 4.42 40 at the NFL Combine—and his length.
"From a coverage standpoint, obviously that translates to athleticism," Bears national scout John Syty said after the draft. "For him, the ability to play man, stick at the top of routes is one of his strengths. And then instincts and zone coverage, too, is also a strength of this player. [He's] kind of a combo guy that can do a couple different things for us on defense."
Bryant wasn't the only veteran defensive back the Bears signed in free agency. They also added Cam Lewis, a versatile safety, nickel back and special teams contributor who spent his first six NFL seasons with the Bills.
Another safety and special teams ace, Elijah Hicks, returns for a fifth season with the Bears. Last year the 2022 seventh-round pick played in all 17 games as a reserve, tying for third on the team with 12 special teams tackles.
Other defensive backs who will compete in training camp are cornerbacks Dontae Manning, Dallis Flowers and KC Eziomume and safeties Gervarrius Owens, Skyler Thomas and Anthony Johnson Jr.
