Chicago Bears safety Coby Bryant will be out 4-6 months after undergoing knee surgery, coach Ben Johnson announced Tuesday. Bryant had surgery Aug. 7, four days after hyperextending his left knee, sustaining a bone bruise and small fracture. The injury occurred during one-on-ones, and he was driven back on a cart. Johnson said, "He's gonna be in a hurry to get back to help us out there at the end of the year."

The Bears sought multiple opinions before deciding on surgery. Bryant's absence is a significant blow to a secondary already hit hard by injuries. Cornerback Kyler Gordon remains on PUP with a calf injury, backup safety Elijah Hicks is also on PUP, and reserves Gervarrius Owens and Dallis Flowers suffered leg injuries last week. Cam Lewis, filling in at nickel before moving to safety, also got injured but is not expected to be out long term.

To mitigate the absences, Chicago signed 10-year veteran safety Xavier Woods, who played opposite first-round rookie Dillon Thieneman with the first-team defense. Bryant was the Bears' marquee free agent addition, signing a three-year, $40 million contract this offseason. He and Thieneman were brought in to replace safeties Kevin Byard and Jaquan Brisker from a defense that led the NFL with 33 takeaways last season.