For veteran safety Kevin Byard III, he has seen and experienced plenty throughout his career.
Byard, 31, is in his 10th year in the league – a goal he wanted to reach back when he was a rookie in 2016. As someone who has played in 147 games and has never missed a game due to injury, Byard understands at this point in his NFL career what it will take from the collective 11 on defense for the unit to be successful.
The Bears’ secondary has a lot of talent, highlighted by Jaylon Johnson and Kyler Gordon. With Dennis Allen now as the defensive coordinator, the defensive backs will be asked to play a lot more man coverage than was asked of the unit last season.
Byard knows the secondary can only be as good as the front seven.
“With a lot of man, it means tighter coverage,” Byard said. “That also means that we're going to depend on those guys up front to be able to get after the quarterback. We can't cover all day. I really like the addition of (Dennis Allen), the defense, and different things we're going to do, being able to mix it up. Not just play man, but be able to have a lot of different things we're going to do package-wise. I think it's going to be fun. It's been fun so far.”
What should add to the fun wrinkles for this defense is the players the Bears have acquired this offseason. Grady Jarrett, who entered the NFL one year before Byard, adds veteran experience to the defensive line. Dayo Odeyingbo will man the defensive end spot opposite Montez Sweat after playing the last four seasons in Indianapolis. In the second round, general manager Ryan Poles selected Texas A&M's Shemar Turner, who provides versatility to play both inside and at the edge.
Those additions were necessary for a defense that finished with 40 sacks last season—16th in the NFL. Combined with the players the Bears already had up front, those additions will allow the unit to play an attacking style.
Kevin Byard stresses one thing the Chicago Bears' defense must get right.
“It starts up front,” Byrad said. “It starts with those guys first and foremost. Stopping the run is something we really weren't good at last year. We can attack in that way. If we stop the run, then everything opens up for the defense. Those guys can pin their ears back, get after the quarterback, and then you start making plays. Once you get a good front four that can pretty much stop the run and also get after the quarterback, and everybody's going to sit in the zone, make plays, get interceptions. We're going to attack and it's going to start with those guys up front.”
The Bears’ secondary has an opportunity to be one of the better units in the league. Johnson should get his looks to shadow opposing No. 1 wide receivers, and Tyrique Stevenson will get chances to play press coverage, which should play into his aggressive play style. Gordon is a chess piece that will be implemented all over the defense. Then there is Byard, who had a career-high 130 tackles last season, and Jaquan Brisker, who brings a physical presence if he's on the field.
Allen will have plenty of talented playmakers to utilize in his first season as the Bears’ defensive coordinator, but each group must do their respective jobs for the unit to be successful in 2025.