There's no time to rest for the Chicago Bears' front office. Just over a month after their playoff run ended, it's already time to build out the roster for 2026.
General manager Ryan Poles has his work cut out for him, as multiple starters are about to hit free agency. Among them is veteran safety Kevin Byard III, who brought down a team-high seven interceptions in 2025. He was invaluable to Chicago's secondary, but with younger starters in need of new contracts, the team might have to let him walk.
FanSided's Cody Williams has an answer. In his latest 2026 NFL mock draft, he has the Bears spending a second-round pick on USC safety Kamari Ramsey. No rookie would be an immediate one-for-one Byard replacement, but this pick would be a big step in the right direction.
Bears find their Kevin Byard replacement in latest 2026 NFL mock draft
It's not just the veteran who is set to walk away from Chicago without a contract. Safety Jaquan Brisker and cornerback Nahshon Wright are about to hit the open market, too. At 32 years old, Byard could end up being the odd man out when it comes time to sign new deals.
If so, Ramsey could be the perfect pick in the second round. This draft class boasts a talented group of safeties, so it wouldn't be shocking if the USC product was available for the Bears with the 57th pick.
Ramsey is a versatile, physical safety with experience playing at multiple positions. He's a solid tackler and shows the competitive mentality at the catch point that NFL coaches love. He still has some work to do on his technique, and his injury history will be enough to scare some teams away, but the safety could step in as an immediate starter in the league. Near the end of the second round, this would be a great player for Chicago to walk away with.
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There's no doubt that the Bears will need to add multiple starters on defense this offseason. Williams even has them addressing the defensive line in the first round, taking Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods to fill out the interior of their defensive line. One player won't be enough to fix this unit, especially given the pieces about to leave, but Ramsey could solidify a secondary set to experience an alarming amount of change.