Byard, who released a statement expressing his gratitude to the Titans organization and fans, hasn’t been at his best early this season in Tennessee, but he’s the type of do-it-all safety who can complete the Eagles’ secondary. The Philly native is stellar against the run and a ball-hawk in coverage. In 120 games over eight seasons with the Titans, Byard has generated 27 interceptions, 63 passes defensed and 674 tackles.
The 30-year-old safety is one of two players in the NFL with 600-plus tackles and 20-plus INTs since 2017 (Jordan Poyer), and his 27 picks are second-most in the NFL (Xavien Howard), according to NFL Research. Byard leads all safeties with 59 passes defensed since 2017.
Byard will pair with Reed Blankenship, who is dealing with an injury, to form a Middle Tennessee State safety duo on the back end of Sean Desai’s defense.
After losing Chauncey Gardner-Johnson this offseason, the Eagles’ safety crew lacked versatility and playmaking. Roseman went out and snagged a potential game-changer to fill the void. The trade comes after Philly swiped star receiver A.J. Brown from Tennessee on a draft-day trade in 2022.
The trade signals the 2-4 Titans are sellers ahead of the Oct. 31 deadline. Tennessee entered the day with just six total draft picks, only three of which came before the seventh round (first, second, fourth, and three sevenths). General manager Ran Carthon needs to replenish the coffers, so the Titans might not be done shipping out assets in the coming week.