New Orleans Saints safety Jairus Byrd landed on injured reserve four games into his tenure with the team, who made the former Buffalo Bills Pro Bowler the highest-paid safety in the NFL with a six-year, $54 million contract in March.

Byrd suffered a torn lateral meniscus in Thursday’s practice and will require knee surgery. Rafael Bush will replace Byrd in the starting lineup next to Kenny Vaccaro in the New Orleans secondary.

Byrd’s standing as the top-paid safety was short-lived — Seattle’s Earl Thomas assumed that perch months later — and his impact on the New Orleans defense not exactly what head coach Sean Payton and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan envisioned.

While Byrd did force the Saints only takeaway this season — a Week 1 fumble — he also was charged with multiple missed tackles and played a role in repeated communication breakdowns at the back end of the team’s 29th-ranked defense.

Byrd had surgery Friday morning, according to the Saints.

It’s his second surgery since he joined the team. A back operation in May kept Byrd from participating in most of the offseason workouts and Ryan said he needed to work overtime in training camp in West Virginia and during preseason to get ready for the regular season.