Eagles land 2-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard. Here's what you need to know

Howie Roseman did not wait until the trade deadline to make a splash. The Eagles addressed their need at safety on Monday by acquiring two-time All-Pro Kevin Byard from the Tennessee Titans in a deal for Terrell Edmunds, a fifth-round pick, and a sixth-round pick.

Here’s what you need to know:

Who is he?: Byard, 30, is in his eighth NFL season and has established himself as one of the better safeties in the NFL. He was a first-team All-Pro in 2017 and 2021 and has proven to be a ballhawk at the position — he has 27 career interceptions, including five seasons with at least four. Byard led the NFL with eight interceptions in 2017. Only Xavien Howard and Justin Simmons have more interceptions since Byard came into the league as a third-round pick in 2016. It’s helped that he’s been remarkably durable, playing every game in his career. He has experience at multiple positions, from free safety to box safety to covering receivers in the slot. He’s also known to be a reliable tackler.

There’s a fun human interest element to this acquisition. Byard is a Philadelphia native who grew up in the area before moving to Atlanta at age 14. In his Titans biography, it was noted that his favorite food includes cheesesteaks and his favorite athlete as a kid was Allen Iverson. 

Why did the Eagles make this trade?: Roseman has been on the market for a safety, so adding help at the position was not as much of a surprise. The bigger question was which safety the Eagles might land. 

The Eagles had a need at safety even before the season. It’s become more pronounced through the first two months because of injuries. Reed Blankenship missed Sunday’s game with a ribs injury and Justin Evans is on injured reserve with a knee injury. There’s optimism in Sydney Brown’s development, although he also missed time and is still finding his way in the defense. Terrell Edmunds had been starting for the Eagles, and Byard is a clear upgrade. The Eagles have even crosstrained cornerbacks such as Mekhi Garner to play safety. 

To add to the need, the Eagles have cycled through slot cornerbacks. Byard is an older player, but he gives the middle of the secondary stability and joins Darius Slay and James Bradberry as credentialed defensive backs (albeit all 30-and-older).

How does he fit?: Byard will start next to Reed Blankenship once Blankenship is healthy, creating the rare Middle Tennessee State safety combination. Evans and Brown now become the top reserves at the position. The Eagles could attempt to use Brown as the nickel cornerback in certain packages. Defensive coordinator Sean Desai has had to mix in different safeties throughout the season, so it’s not as if the addition of Byard disrupts the secondary. He also has familiar faces in the locker room based on the Titans-to-Eagles pipeline. A.J. Brown, Zach Cunningham, and Julio Jones are all former teammates.

What was the cost?: The Eagles traded Edmunds, a 2024 fifth-round pick, and a 2024 sixth-round pick. They had multiple fifth- and sixth-round picks and the Titans will receive their higher pick in both rounds, according to Sports Illustrated. They now have their first-round pick, two second-round picks, and a fifth-round pick, and they’re expected to receive four compensatory picks based on players who left in free agency last offseason. That would give them eight draft picks in 2024. The compensatory selections are expected to be a third-round pick and three fifth-round picks, according to overthecap.com.

The financial cost is the remaining portion of Byard’s $4 million base salary, which was reduced when he renegotiated his contract before the season. Byard has a team option of  $14.1 million in 2024. So the Eagles could keep him, or they could let him leave without a cap hit.

What’s next?: This qualifies as a splash this time of year considering Byard’s position and track record. Although there were other potential options such as Budda Baker and Justin Simmons, Byard’s contract and the cost to acquire him made this a sensible move. The Eagles don’t have a clear need ahead of the October 31 trade deadline, and they don’t have as many 2024 picks to trade at this point because they have not yet been awarded the compensatory picks. They could swap picks, of course. 

If there are more moves to make, the Eagles could seek to add an upgrade in the slot. Bradley Roby was not placed on injured reserve so he’s expected to return soon. The Julio Jones signing gave the Eagles another option at wide receiver. There’s one more game before the deadline so an injury this weekend could change the equation, but at this point, the Byard trade seems to be the big move at the deadline.