Eagles bolster secondary by reportedly acquiring two-time All-Pro safety
Eagles bolster secondary by reportedly acquiring two-time All-Pro safety originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
The Eagles have acquired two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard from the Titans.
Byard, a 1st-team All-Pro and Pro Bowler in 2017 and 2021, has started 111 consecutive games since the middle of his rookie season in 2016.
The Eagles gave up 5th- and 6th-round picks in 2024 and safety Terrell Edmunds.
The Eagles began the year with Edmunds, K’Von Wallace, Sydney Brown and Justin Evans competing for the starting safety spot opposite Reed Blankenship. Evans won the job but is now on Injured Reserve. Edmunds replaced him after he got hurt, but with Blankenship out Sunday vs. the Dolphins, the Eagles started Edmunds alongside Brown, the rookie from Illinois.
When he does play, Byard will become the Eagles’ 16th different defensive back to get on the field this year and eventually the ninth to start. That will be the 3rd-most defensive backs they’ve ever played in a non-strike season.
He'll be the fifth defensive back to play for the Eagles who wasn’t on the initial 53-man roster, a group that also includes Josiah Scott, Mekhi Garner, Bradley Roby and Eli Ricks.
Nick Sirianni was in the middle of his regular Monday presser when the Byard news broke, and although he smiled at the question and didn’t deny the move, he didn’t confirm it either.
Byard, 30, was the Titans 3rd-round pick in 2016 out of Middle Tennessee State – also Blankenship’s alma mater – and broke into the Titans’ starting lineup in the middle of his rookie season and never left.
His streak of 111 consecutive starts is longest currently among NFL safeties.
Byard and A.J. Brown were teammates from 2019 through 2021. If the Byard trade works out half as well as the Brown trade, it’ll be another genius move by Howie Roseman.
Presumably, Blankenship and Byard will eventually be the starting safeties in an all-Middle Tennessee State lineup. Blankenship missed the Dolphins game with a rib injury, but Sirianni said he’s hopeful he’ll be able to return Sunday for Washington.
The Eagles have played mid-season acquisitions like Roby and Scott as soon as they got here, so it’s possible Byard will have some role on defense as soon as Sunday.
Byard led the NFL with eight interceptions in 2017, his first full season as a starter. He has 27 interceptions since 2017, the 2nd-most in the NFL behind Xavien Howard’s 29. He doesn’t have any interceptions this year, but he had four last year. He and Marcus Peters are the only active players with five career seasons with at least four INTs.
Byard has played more defensive snaps than anybody else in the NFL since 2017 – 6914. That’s 99 percent of the Titans’ defensive snaps since 2017, including 99 percent this year (389 of 391).
The 26-year-old Edmunds, who spent his first five years with the Steelers, had 28 tackles and a forced fumble in seven games and two starts with the Eagles. He played 68 percent of the Eagles’ defensive snaps.
Byard is scheduled to earn $4 million in base salary this year, so the Eagles are on the hook for the remaining pro-rated amount – about $2.44 million for 11 of 18 weeks.
He’s signed through 2024 with a $9.6 million base next year, so depending on how the rest of this year goes, the Eagles would either release him after this season or restructure. They're not going to pay him $9.6 million in 2024.
Edmunds is owed $1.05 million, which is $403,333 – the pro-rated portion of his $660,000 base salary – along with 10 weeks of weekly $39,411 bonuses, which is $394,110 for a total of $797,443.
The difference – about $1.6 million – is the increased cap hit the Eagles will take on.
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