The Chicago Bears' Safeties Feel Cursed in 2026

Aug 5, 2026; Lake Forest, IL, USA; Chicago Bears head coach Ben Johnson walks on the field during training camp at Halas Hall. Mandatory Credit: Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images

The Chicago Bears' 2026 safety room feels cursed. 

It began when Chicago's biggest free-agent acquisition, Coby Bryant, hyperextended his knee and suffered a bone bruise and a small fracture during a training camp practice. The injury was initially reported to have an 8-10 week recovery time.

Instead, it turned out Bryant needed surgery and is now expected to miss four to six months. As a result, Chicago was forced to add another free agent safety. Now that safety is also hurt.

Chicago's Safety room is Plagued with Injuries

After losing Bryant, the Bears signed veteran safety Xavier Woods to help fill the void. The veteran safety was brought to Chicago for two reasons. First, he has a history with DB coach Al Harris. The two spent the 2020 season together in Dallas, Harris's first year as a DB coach.

Woods also filled the veteran leadership role that Bryant was supposed to play. Part of Bryant's role with the Bears in 2026 was to help first-round draft pick Dillon Thieneman learn and develop. When Chicago lost him, there were questions about how much weight would be put on Thieneman's shoulders. Woods' signing helped alleviate some of those concerns.

Unfortunately for Chicago, Woods' arrival may not have solved the problem for very long. During Saturday's preseason opener, Woods suffered a groin injury. The Bears have not yet provided a timeline for his return, leaving the team with another major question at safety. Suddenly, the Bears could be right back where they started.

Chicago Could Be Forced to Make Another Move

The biggest concern isn't necessarily that Woods suffered an injury. It's that the Bears don't know how long he could be unavailable. Given that Woods is 31 years old, coming back from a groin injury could take him a while.

Moreover, this is now the second groin injury a Bears player has suffered this training camp/preseason and the third a player has suffered in two years. Luther Burden suffered a groin injury during last Saturday's practice and is expected to return by Week 1.

Last season, Jaylon Johnson suffered a groin injury that spiraled into other injuries and cost him a good chunk of his season. In Woods' case, if he attempts to rush back, he could be more susceptible to other injuries, like Johnson was, because of his age.

The Timing Couldn't Be Worse

The good news is that Woods' injury happened early in the preseason, giving Chicago enough time to figure out what their next move is going to be. Currently, Donovan Wilson is a free agent. Wilson also played under Harris in Dallas, so there's the connection.

Even so, Wilson was an option before the Bears brought in Woods, but they ultimately chose Woods over him. So you have to question if the Bears have any interest in Wilson.

The Bears' only other in-house option at safety is Elijah Hicks. However, Hicks was placed on the physically unable to perform list at the start of camp. Although Ben Johnson said it would be a short stint on PUP for Hicks, it's been two weeks, and there has been no word on his expected return.

While calling the Bears' safety room "cursed" is obviously an exaggeration, it's hard to come up with a better description of what's happened over the last few weeks. Bryant gets hurt and his injury turns out to be worse than expected. Then, Chicago went out and signed Woods, only for him to get hurt as well.

Now, Chicago may have to go shopping for another safety. Hopefully, Woods' injury isn't serious, and this ends up being nothing more than a frustrating preseason moment. But if he's going to miss significant time, the Bears' safety room may need another addition sooner rather than later.