The Chicago Bears were expected to be one of the most improved teams in the league last season.
And while their offense failed to live up to that hype and their record wasn’t much better, their defense closed out the year on a high note.
That’s why they were able to land one of the best free agents available on defense, with safety Kevin Byard joining the team on a two-year contract.
According to a report by Kevin Fishbain, Byard was looking forward to joining the Bears because he really liked what HC Matt Eberflus has built on defense, especially in the secondary.
“This defense, I really like what Coach Matt (Eberflus) is doing here. … This defense has a lot of great pieces, especially in the secondary,” Byard said.
New Bears S Kevin Byard on why he wanted to come to Chicago: “This defense, I really like what Coach Matt (Eberflus) is doing here. … This defense has a lot of great pieces, especially in the secondary.”
— Kevin Fishbain (@kfishbain) March 14, 2024
The 30-year-old safety was a first-team All-Pro in 2021 with the Tennessee Titans.
He was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles, and while he was solid individually, the Eagles’ defense crumbled later in the year under Sean Desai and then Matt Patricia.
The Eagles parted ways with both defensive assistants, but that wasn’t enough to keep Byard there.
The Bears will now get an experienced safety who still has plenty left in the tank, and he’s also going to serve as a mentor for the team’s promising and young secondary defense.
All eyes will be on Chicago next season, mostly because of Caleb Williams — assuming they take him with the No. 1 selection — but their defense is also going to make a lot of headlines if they build from last season’s momentum.
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