Seeking a solution at a position hit hard by injuries, the Philadelphia Eagles reportedly acquired two-time All-Pro free safety Kevin Byard from the Tennessee Titans on Monday.
Only a week after head coach Nick Sirianni voiced frustration with multiple injuries at safety, Philadelphia reportedly traded safety Terrell Edmunds and fifth- and sixth-round draft choices in 2024 to the Titans for Byard.
An All-Pro selection in 2017 and 2021, Byard has started 111 consecutive games. Since he was drafted in 2016, Byard’s 27 interceptions rank second in the NFL.
Byard confirmed the deal in a social media post thanking Titans fans and the organization later on Monday.
“You embraced my family and me with open arms from day one, and it’s a blessing to be a part of this community,” Byard wrote in part. “The energy and passion you bring to every game is unmatched. Middle Tennessee truly became our home, and it always will be. It was a dream come true to be a Tennessee Titan.”
Injuries have limited the availability of Eagles safeties Reed Blankenship and Sydney Brown, and another safety, Justin Evans, is on injured reserve.
Aggressive in all phases of roster-building, Philadelphia made multiple moves at the trade deadline in 2022 and could add additional players before the Oct. 31 deadline, per the reports.
Byard has two years and $16 million remaining on the five-year, $70.5 million contract he signed in 2019.
The same teams hooked up on the draft day trade that sent wide receiver A.J. Brown to the Eagles in 2022.
A third-round pick in 2016 out of Middle Tennessee, Byard was born in Philadelphia and moved to Atlanta as a teenager.
The Titans are in their first season under general manager Ran Carthon, who inherited a challenging salary cap situation and could look to make additional moves to clear salary for 2024.
The only players on the roster with higher cap figures than Byard for the rest of this season are quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Derrick Henry. Tannehill, 35, has a cap figure of $36.6 million and is in the final year of a four-year, $118 million deal he signed before the 2020 season. Henry, 29, has a cap charge of $16.4 million for 2023.
–Field Level Media
