Jaylon Johnson is thrilled by Bears' addition of Kevin Byard: 'He's a dawg'

LAKE FOREST, Ill. (670 The Score) — After prioritizing one of their own by signing Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson to a new four-year contract late last week, the Bears coveted a key addition from the outside to bolster their secondary.

On Sunday, the Bears reached an agreement on a two-year contract with two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard, a deal that's pending a physical. Byard will step in as a starter at safety in place of Eddie Jackson, who was released in February.

"He’s a dawg,” Johnson said Monday. “He’s been playing the game at a high level for a long time. I'm definitely glad to have him."

Byard, 30, is tied for ninth among active players with 28 career interceptions. He has recorded at least four interceptions in five of his eight NFL seasons.

The 24-year-old Johnson signed a four-year, $76-million contract extension after having a Pro Bowl campaign in 2023. He hauled in a career-best four interceptions and was graded as the No. 1 overall cornerback in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus' metrics.

While Johnson didn't know of the Bears’ plans for free agency, he sees Byard as a key addition for a budding defense.

“I know we’ve got dawgs at all levels,” Johnson said. “So, I think just being in on (Byard) and with the departure of Eddie, I think kind of put the glue back together in the secondary that we needed. Linebackers, I feel like are stacked between T.J. (Edwards), Tremaine (Edmunds), Jack (Sanborn). We’ve got some depth at ‘backer. I know we’ve got some dawgs up front. So just continue to build depth, I assume. But I can’t say they told me their plans.”

Teams were permitted to begin open negotiations with free agents on Monday at 11 a.m. CT, marking the start of free agency. All deals can become official beginning Wednesday at 3 p.m. CT. However, Byard was released by the Eagles, so he was available to immediately sign with a team.

Chris Emma covers the Bears, Chicago’s sports scene and more for 670TheScore.com. Follow him on Twitter @CEmma670 .