Former Titans and Eagles Safety Visits Bears
The Bears could be thinking of replacing one former All-Pro safety in his 30s with another.
Former Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles safety Kevin Byard visited the Bears on Friday, according to a report by NFL Network's Ian Rapoport.
Byard, who turns 31 in August, is 5-foot-11, 212 pounds and made the Pro Bowl and was All-Pro last in 2021. The Eagles released him March 1 after they had traded to Tennessee last season to get him. They had given up
fifth- and sixth-round picks plus safety Terrell Edmunds in midseason trade last year to get Byard.
Byard has 28 career interceptions and led the NFL in 2017 with eight interceptions. He has 66 career pass defenses and is very familiar to Bears coach Matt Eberflus, the former Indianapolis defensive coordinator, after the Colts and Titans played regularly for four seasons.
According to Sportradar, Byard had a passer rating against when targeted of 102.1 last year with two teams but for the two prior seasons was at 77.8 and in 2021 when he was All-Pro it was 68.7.
Last year Byard lost his starting spot. He had one interception and two pass defenses, and only had four starts. He had three starts in his seven games with the Eagles. He had one start in the first nine games with the Titans.
Prior to last year the Titans wanted Byard to take a paycut before the season and he refused. When the Eagles released Byard, they realized $13.7 million in cap savings according to Overthecap.com.
Jackson had missed five games each of the last two years with foot injuries and in 2023 cost the Bears $17.1 million in cap space after $15.1 million in 2022. Byard's total cap cost last year was $8.55 million. Spotrac.com projects he has a market value of $7.2 million.
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