Chicago Bears: 5 Players who could open eyes and succeed during training camp

Kevin Byard, Safety

This offseason, the Chicago Bears parted ways with safety Eddie Jackson. Jackson was one of the most dominant safeties between 2017 and 2019. He was not as strong in the next two seasons. It seemed that he was returning back to form in 2022. He was once again the ballhawk he was earlier in his career.

Jackson suffered an injury, however, that cut his season short. Then, in 2023, he dealt with more injuries and it appeared those injuries slowed him down. The Bears made the tough decision to release him.

In his place, Poles signed another good player, Kevin Byard. Byard is a two-time All-Pro who plays a similar game to Jackson. Some might say he plays it even better. He has the talent on the field to be an upgrade to Jackson. Also, he has the leadership skills to help a young, up-and-coming defense.

During practices, Byard showed an ability to be effective both at free and strong safety. He would give the Chicago Bears defense some flexibility if he can do both during the season.

There is this narrative about Byard’s 2023 season that he might be losing some of his

abilities. The Tennessee Titans traded him to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles suffered a late-season collapse so many felt he was a part of the reason. However, looking into his season, that might not be the case.

First, Byard had a career-high 122 tackles last season. He failed, however, to make the big, impactful plays everyone was used to seeing from him. That could be because the Eagles had him covering the slots a lot. That is not his thing. He is better when he is free to roam and occasionally get into the box.

Byard’s teammates on defense raved about his ability to communicate with others and direct traffic in the secondary. That bodes well for his relationship with strong safety Jaquan Brisker. One of the things that helped in his development was his relationship with Jackson. Both of them played well together.

Now, the Chicago Bears hope Byard and Brisker can have the same relationship. It started well in camp. Now we will see how much better it is during training camp.

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