Bear Digest

All-NFC North voting reflects uneasy Bears situation at safety

Kevin Byard had a strong overall 2024 but how he'll play at 32 years old, whether Jaquan Brisker can come back strong and the backup situation makes safety a Bears mystery.
Gene Chamberlain|
Bears safety Kevin Byard celebrates his stop of Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs last year at Soldier Field.
Bears safety Kevin Byard celebrates his stop of Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs last year at Soldier Field. | Daniel Bartel-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

Kevin Byard's first Bears season went much the way the rest of the team's defense went.

A fast start gave way to mundane play around midseason. While his overall solid grades from Pro Football Focus catch the eye, at age 32 this training camp there is always going to be concern his fade was more than being part of a listing ship.

Byard had an interception, his most pass breakups since 2021 with seven, had a career high in tackles with 130. He was fifth in voting for the two safety spots behind fourth-place Josh Metellus of the Vikings on the All-NFC North team by On SI largely due to the inprovement and influx of top safeties in the division.

The Bears enter this season in a mysterious place at this position.

Jaquan Brisker's status appears tentative until proven otherwise because of his concussions. They could be fine or even better if that second-half fade Byard had was merely the effect of the entire defense collapsing and not age starting to get to him.

Byard still hasn't missed an NFL game due. His one game less than the maximum was due to being traded to a team that already had its bye in 2023 before he got there (Philly) and playing earlier in the season for one (Tennessee) that hadn't had one yet.

Closer analysis says it was probably due more to the full defense fading because Byard actually outperformed their run defense. Byard finished eighth among 171 safeties graded by Pro Football Focus at run support, all while the Bears defense went in freefall against the run and dropped from first to 28th.

Much of their collapse occurred after season-ending injuries to defensive tackle Andrew Billings and safety Jaquan Brisker.

"Stopping the run is something we really weren't good at last year," Byard said. "We can attack in that way. If we stop the run, then everything opens up for the defense. Those guys can pin their ears back, get after the quarterback, and then you start making plays.

"Once you get a good front four that can pretty much stop the run and also get after the quarterback and everybody's going to sit in the zone, make plays, get interceptions. We're going to attack and it's going to start with those guys up front.”

The other question about Byard for this year is how he'll adapt to a scheme that might put him back in single safety coverage at times as a 32-year-old, although it seemed in many of those situations at offseason work Brisker handled that duty.

Either way, there will be more man-to-man coverage and it could challenge an aging safety.

"I really like the addition of DA (defensive coordinator Dennis Allen), the defense and different things we're going to do, being able to mix it up, not just play man but be able to have a lot of different things we're going to do package-wise," Byard said. "I think it's going to be fun. It's been fun so far."

After Brisker and Byard, Elijah Hicks last year had to become a starter for seven games was graded 39th by PFF of 171 safeties and 17th against the run. It was easily Hicks' best season.

So are they fine and even a deep safety group with Jonathan Owens added into the mix, or are they another injury to a starter from crumbling in their new, more risky scheme?

It's difficult to tell.

Here's how the division has become better at safety the last few years while the Bears stayed still or regressed.

Kerby Joseph, Detroit Lions

The fourth-year Lions safety made a huge step forward in 2024 and became the top vote-getter at his position in he On SI All-NFC North poll.

After four interceptions in each of his first two seasons, Joseph firmly established himself with nine picks last year. He also dropped his missed tackle rate from 15% to 6.3%. The Lions rewarded their All-Pro with a four-year contract extension

Xavier McKinney, Green Bay Packers

McKinney's addition in free agency might have been the key move last year to turn around their defense, and he finished second in voting for top safety in the division by On SI writers.

McKinney made three interceptions in 2023 for the Giants when they tied for first in takeaways. Then he signed with the Packers and they went from 23rd in takeaways and 31st in interceptions to fourth in takeaways and third in interceptions.

"He wasn’t just a ballhawk," wrote Green Bay Packers On SI's Bill Huber. "He was an eraser on the back end who prevented big plays. He was an excellent tackler, no different than the rest of his career. He led in the locker room, with his position group including three rookie draft picks."

Huber also pointed out McKinney is the only NFL player with 325 or more tackles, 15 interceptions and 35 passes defensed in the last four years.

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Gene Chamberlain
GENE CHAMBERLAIN

Gene Chamberlain has covered the Chicago Bears full time as a beat writer since 1994 and prior to this on a part-time basis for 10 years. He covered the Bears as a beat writer for Suburban Chicago Newspapers, the Daily Southtown, Copley News Service and has been a contributor for the Daily Herald, the Associated Press, Bear Report, CBS Sports.com and The Sporting News. He also has worked a prep sports writer for Tribune Newspapers and Sun-Times newspapers.