Safety Kevin Byard didn’t ask to be traded when the Titans asked him to take a pay cut this offseason and he later agreed to a reworked deal with the team that seemed to signal he’d play out the year in Tennessee.
A subpar start to the Titans season and a need in the secondary for the Eagles conspired to change that outlook this week. Byard was traded to the Eagles and he met with the media for the first time since the deal on Wednesday.
Byard was born in Philadelphia, but moved away as a teenager and said “it’s exciting for me” to be back in the city. He said he will be “just coming in to learn the playbook, develop a relationship with the guys, and just try to come in and help as much as possible” with a team that enjoys a far better place in the standings than the one he just left.
“This is my eighth season and I’m feeling really good, coming off a bye week, too,” Byard said, via the team’s website. “I’m definitely feeling fresh right now. This team has a great culture and I’m just looking to add to that. It feels good to wake up 6-1.”
Byard’s first game with his new team will come against the Commanders this Sunday and helping them a win will ensure that the Eagles remain atop both the NFC East and the NFC as a whole.
