Bear Digest

Bears Safety Picture Takes Shape with Elijah Hicks' Return for Depth

The safety position became a little more clear for the Bears with Elijah Hicks' return and the signing of Kevin Byard by New England.
Gene Chamberlain|
Elijah Hicks breaks up a pass intended for Gabe Davis in a 2024 Bears game. Hicks returns as the team's third safety for 2026.
Elijah Hicks breaks up a pass intended for Gabe Davis in a 2024 Bears game. Hicks returns as the team's third safety for 2026. | Peter van den Berg-Imagn Images

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Chicago Bears

The Bears have begun the process of settling their depth situation by signing back their own free agents, as safety Elijah Hicks has been brought back to provide support in a secondary that most likely will include Coby Bryant and a draft pick.  

Hicks signs on a one-year deal according to the Tribune's Brad Biggs. Backup safety Jonathan Owens is also a free agent. Owens played mostly in goal-line or short-yardage situations but did have five starts in 2024.

That safety scene won't include Kevin Byard, as the veteran All-Pro signed with New England to be paired with his former Titans coach Mike Vrabel.

The Bears sought to get Byard back, according to Byard himself through a Tweet from Josina Anderson. However, he wound up going to the Patriots.

"I am on the phone with Kevin Byard right now," tweeted Anderson. "He told me 'it was either #Bears or the #Patrits, and you know I have a relationship with Coach Vrabes; and New England it is..."

Hicks has had to start more games than most backup safeties in the  league. In his first three seasons, he had to start 15 times in place of either Eddie Jackson or Jaquan Brisker. He has made three pass breakups and 122 tackles. Last season was the first one Hicks didn't have to make a start.

Byard and Vrabel spent 5 1/2 seasons together in Tennessee  before the Titans traded Byard to Philadelphia at midseason in 2023.

The only question to this is, doesn't the one season with a playoff game count as history with Ben Johnson and Dennis Allen count for anything? After all, Vrabel was the coach with the Titans when Byard was shipped out of Tennessee.

There must be more involved with it than the safety-coach relationship, like money not being similar even though it was at a projected amount. But the Bears would obviously be looking to spend much less money at the other safety position once they had committed $13.3 million to Byard.

In honesty, the pairing of Bryant and Byard probably wouldn't have worked as well as one with Bryant and Jaquan Brisker. That's because Bryant is an all-purpose safety but best being back deep.  Byard is more of a deep safety, as well. Brisker's ability to be all over the field as an interchangeable secondary part is more in line with what Allen wants from is secondary than what Byard could have brought.

None of this says much about the possible return of Brisker. Money could still be the dominant issue here. Brisker's past, with a concussion each of his first three seasons, would be something the Bears need to consider before they'd bring him back, as well. But he did hold up well physically last year with a full season of play.

Allen' use of safeties all over the field as interchangeable pieces, in run support besides pass coverage, is a factor in whether they'd bring Brisker back. Can he go into the box consistently and be physical enough to stop the run and make stops in the open field considering is past health?

They saw it in 2026, although he wasn't performing a well as in some other years based on Pro Football Focus' analytics. Brisker's final game was a dominant performance against the Rams. 

Whether he can consistently duplicate this is the question facing the Bears and  other teams at the moment.

At least now they know they have a starter in Bryant and a key backup in Hicks.

The way it stands, safety has become a primary focus for early in the draft now as they'd be looking for a potential starter.

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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.

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