The Chicago Bears bolstered the depth of their secondary on Tuesday as the team agreed to a two-year deal with former Green Bay Packers safety Jonathan Owens.
Can confirm that former Packers/Texans safety Jonathan Owens is headed to Chicago on a two-year deal, per source. Bears add another safety to the mix with Jaquan Brisker and Kevin Byard, further fortifying the secondary in free agency.
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) March 12, 2024
The addition of Owens comes days after the team added Kevin Byard. The belief is that Byard and Jaquan Brisker will be the starting safeties with the Bears, while Owens will be the next man up at the position.
After spending the first four seasons of his NFL career with the Houston Texans, Owens spent the 2023 season with the Green Bay Packers. Owens appeared in each of the Packers' 17 regular season games, totaling 84 tackles.
The addition of Owens will also lead to the team adding to their celebrity fanbase. Owens is married to the greatest gymnast of all time, Simone Biles. The couple made headlines this past season when Owens said he was more recognizable than Biles. Biles was regularly spotted at Lambeau Field last season, and she is now on the right side of the NFC North rivalry.
Owens is some much-needed depth for the Bears' secondary. For as much as Brisker has emerged as a leader for the Bears defense, the third-year safety's violent nature of the third-year safety does lead to him being removed from games at times while dealing with an injury. Brisker also missed time in his first two seasons due to a concussion.
Tuesday was a more eventful day for the Bears than the first day of NFL Free Agency. After only signing running back D'Andre Swift on Monday, Owens is the second addition that the team has made on Tuesday. The Bears signed veteran tight end Gerald Everett earlier in the day.