The Philadelphia Eagles have acquired Safety Kevin Byard from the Tennessee Titans via trade on Monday evening.
Philadelphia, which was dealing with a rash of injuries in their secondary, now adds a 2x first team All-Pro to an already formidable defensive unit. In exchange, the Eagles are sending the Titans 26 year old safety Terrell Edmunds, and the team’s 5th & 6th round selections in the 2024 NFL Draft.
“I want to thank Kevin for what he means to me personally and to this team,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said. “When I arrived, he helped carry a new message into the locker room and establish the mindset and work ethic we were trying to instill throughout the team. His play on the field speaks for itself.”
Byard, 30, was a team captain with the Titans for 4 years and has never missed a game throughout his career thus far. Born in Philadelphia, the former 3rd round pick out of Middle Tennessee will return to the city where he spent the first 14 years of his life and compete for a team with championship aspirations.
Safety was one of the few weak spots on an otherwise stout defensive unit in Philadelphia. 24-year old Reed Blankenship missed the team’s Week 7 win over Miami due to a rib injury, while veteran Justin Evans currently sits on IR with a knee injury. The club has high hopes for Illinois standout Sydney Brown, however Howie Roseman clearly felt that the team needed added insurance at the position beyond their rookie.
Byard brings 8 years of NFL experience to the table and two trips to the Pro Bowl to boot. He’s widely regarded as one of the top players at his position across the league and will look to shore up Philadelphia’s beleaguered secondary. His 92.3 coverage grade since 2020 is the highest rating amongst all DB’s according to PFF.
The Titans currently sit in last place in the AFC South with a 2-4 record, and could be one of the more active teams heading into the NFL trade deadline. QB Ryan Tannehill and RB Derrick Henry are both in the last year of their contracts and are widely expected to move elsewhere in the offseason.
The club recently spent their 2nd and 3rd round picks on what many believe are Tannehill and Henry’s successors at last year’s draft, selecting QB Will Levis out of Kentucky and RB Tyjae Spears out of Tulane. With the franchise’s playoff hopes fading, GM Ran Carthon could look to recoup assets for his veteran players as the team looks to kickstart their youth movement in earnest next season.
-Kyle Skinner
Twitter: @JKyleSkinner
Photo: Tennessee Titans. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported license.
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