Bears Should Prioritize New Kevin Byard III Contract to Help Defense Amid NFL Free Agency Rumors

The Chicago Bears need to prioritize their defense at the start of NFL free agency.

One of the ways Chicago can focus on its defense is to re-sign safety Kevin Byard III.

According to ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, "my sense is the Bears will attempt to re-sign Kevin Byard III over the weekend but will let Jaquan Brisker walk."

The Bears won't have enough money to keep both free-agent safeties at the prices they demand.

Chicago has to fill a hole at linebacker and it also has to re-work its offensive line.

As Fowler noted, the Bears opened up "around $17 million" in salary cap space in their trade of wide receiver D.J. Moore to the Buffalo Bills.

Some of the money they saved in the Moore trade should go to re-signing Byard.

Byard is older than Brisker, but he should also come at a more reasonable cost than his likely former teammate.

Byard had an $8.5 million salary cap hit last season with the Bears, per Spotrac, and he should command a similar level of contract to come back in 2026.

Not only would a new Byard deal be cheaper than renewing with Brisker, but the Bears would also retain one of their defensive leaders.

The 32-year-old safety had seven interceptions, eight passes defended, 93 tackles and four tackles for loss in 2025.

Byard proved last season that he can still play at an incredibly high level. He's exactly what the Bears need on the back end of their defense.

If the Bears lock down Byard early on in the free-agency window, they can then shift their focus to linebacker to find Tremaine Edmunds' replacement.

Fowler mentioned Alex Anzalone as a potential fit in Chicago because of his previous connection with Bears defensive coordinator Dennis Allen.

"To replace Tremaine Edmunds, Alex Anzalone is a name to watch. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was with him in New Orleans and he's good in coverage," Fowler wrote.

Anzalone would be a good addition, and it would weaken the roster of a divisional rival, the Detroit Lions, but he shouldn't be the sole focus at linebacker.

Alex Singleton is an older, cheaper option the Bears could focus on, or they could splash some money on Logan Wilson, Kenneth Murray or Bobby Okereke.

Regardless of which players they sign, there should be no worries about the Bears focusing on their defense. After all, five of their top-seven earners for the 2026 season play defense.