LAKE FOREST, Ill. — The Bears will be without safety Coby Bryant a bit longer than initially expected. 

Bryant, 27, suffered a hyperextended left knee, a bone bruise and a small fracture on Day 5 of Bears camp during a 1-on-1 rep against tight end Cole Kmet. Bears coach Ben Johnson said Tuesday at Halas Hall that Bryant is expected to miss four to six months after undergoing knee surgery.

“[Bryant] had surgery on Friday,” Johnson said. “Looks like he’s gonna be more of a four to six month timeline. He’s going to be in a hurry to get back to help us out at the end of the year.”

ESPN initially reported that Bryant would be sidelined eight to 10 weeks.

Fresh off a Super Bowl victory with the Seattle Seahawks in February, Bryant signed a three-year, $40 million deal with the Bears when free agency opened in March.

Defensive back Cam Lewis replaced Bryant with the first-team defense in subsequent practices. The Bears also signed veteran safety Xavier Woods on Friday. Woods, 31, has started 121 games over nine seasons and overlapped with defensive backs coach Al Harris with the Dallas Cowboys.

The CHGO staff weighs in …

Adam Jahns: This news makes the addition of Xavier Woods even more important. He’s not Coby Bryant. But his experience will be essential next to rookie Dillon Thieneman. The Bears are wasting no time in trying to build chemistry, either. Woods played with the starters with Cam Lewis out on Sunday.

Lewis’ role on the team is more important with Bryant out, too. He will need to be the do-everything player he was for the Bills here as well. He’s also the Bears’ top backup at nickel back — and it doesn’t look like Kyler Gordon is returning anytime soon.

Adam Hoge: This is a gutting blow for the Bears, who really felt like they were getting one of the best ascending free agents this offseason — and most of the league seemed to agree. Coby Bryant was good enough to pivot off re-signing Kevin Byard, which almost seemed like a formality last winter. Now the Bears don’t have either of them — at least not until late in the season. 

Enter Xavier Woods, who becomes one of the more crucial pieces on the team. He not only needs to hold the fort down, but will also be tasked with helping lead rookie Dillon Thieneman, whose development is now one of the most important storylines of the season. 

Can the Bears survive? Yes, especially because they should have one of the best offenses in the league. But Bryant was high on the list of players the Bears could least afford to lose this season.

Patrick Norton: This is a significant blow to an already shorthanded Bears secondary that’s without nickel back Kyler Gordon (calf) and lost defensive backs Kevin Byard III, Jaquan Brisker, Nahshon Wright and C.J. Gardner-Johnson in free agency. 

The idea of getting Bryant back around Week 3 felt like a win after he left the practice field while visibly emotional on the cart.

Instead, even after signing veteran safety Xavier Woods, expect defensive back – and Swiss Army Knife – Cam Lewis to get an extended look at safety alongside rookie Dillon Thieneman.

Mark Carman: Coby Bryant is going to be missed. A lot. Dillon Thieneman is going to feel the impact perhaps the most, not having the 2025 Super Bowl champion to learn from to start his rookie year. 

Bryant’s energy, maturity and overall confidence jumped off the page from the moment he signed. Whenever he gets back, it will be a great day for the Bears.