Philadelphia Eagles' Kevin Byard Arriving to Settle Down Safety Concerns
PHILADELPHIA - In West Philadelphia born and raised, Nashville is where Kevin Byard spent most of his NFL days.
That all changed on Monday when Philadelphia Eagles general manager Howie Roseman pulled the trigger and acquired the two-time All-Pro safety for a couple of Day 3 2024 draft picks, along with veteran safety Terrell Edmunds.
Forgive the “Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” nod but Byard, like Will Smith, grew up in West Philly, near 52nd and Lancaster to be exact, until age 14 when he moved to Atlanta and started the second phase of his life.
Byard ultimately turned him into the so-called Mayor of Murfreesboro, Tennessee as a star at Middle Tennessee State Univerity before becoming a third-round pick of the Titans, only a half hour away in Nashville.
With the Titans, Byard was a star on and off the field as one of the league’s most prolific playmakers and a five-time team captain revered in the locker room by his teammates and those who cover the Titans regularly.
Byard gives off a bit of Malcolm Jenkins vibe, albeit with a different playing style. While the former Eagles’ Pro Bowl safety often dominated with physical play, Byard is more of a coverage safety in the mold defensive coordinator Sean Desai covets in what is a Vic Fangio-styled defense. Both Jenkins and Byard have been regarded as tremendous teammates and leaders, however.
Like many local defensive backs who grew up in his generation, Byard was influenced by former Eagles Hall of Fame safety Brian Dawkins and built on that by honing in on Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu, the latter of which is Byard’s favorite safety to watch.
“He’s been a huge influence,” Byard said of Dawkins. “I know I’ve said this multiple times, Brian Dawkins is one of the top safeties I looked up to growing up. Him, Ed Reed and Troy Polamalu. So, big influence on me.
“When I first started playing safety in high school one of the first things I did was go on YouTube and look at his Weapon X video. It was like a hype video. Every single game he played I looked at."
New Eagles safety Kevin Byards meets the Philadelphia media.
John McMullen/Eagles Today
Names like Dawkins and Jenkins being mentioned highlight the expectations Byard faces as he enters the 6-1 locker room of the reigning NFC champions.
It’s Super Bowl or bust these days in Philadelphia and Byard is going to be regarded as the final piece of a championship puzzle.
To date, Byard has been one of the most productive safeties in the NFL since arriving in 2016, flashing both versatility and durability. He has crossed the demarcation line of 30, however, and the Titans' assessment seems to have been to get something for a franchise great who is now descending as a player.
Asked if there is gas left in the tank Byard assessed ““I’m about to find out. Of course, I feel like that. This is my eighth season but I’m feeling really good. I’m coming off a bye week, too. So I’m definitely feeling fresh right now.
“I’m excited to get this thing going right now."
The change of address form means Byard has to walk before he can run in his first NFL locker room outside of Nashville.
“Just trying to come in, learn the playbook develop relationships with the guys, and just try to come in and help as much as possible,” Byard said. “Obviously this team has a great culture, a winning culture, and has great leadership here.
“I just want to come and earn the respect of all my teammates by first and foremost by preparing the right way, taking care of my body, doing all those little things. “Try to do whatever I can to help this team.”
Veteran Brandon Graham expects a smooth transition for Byard.
"Once he gets the gist of what (defensive coordinator Sean) Desai wants everything else will kinda pick up as we go because we got great communication on the back end,” Graham said.
Byard is expected to play next to another former MTSU star in Reed Blankenship as soon as he's ready and will be tasked with settling down a safety group that has needed four different starters over the first seven games due to injuries to Blankenship and Justin Evans.
In last Sunday’s 31-17 win over Miami, it was Edmunds and rookie Sydney Brown making his first NFL start.
“Obviously, I feel like I’m a great player but at the end of the day it’s not really about that,” said Byard. “It’s all about what I do now. I’ve had a great career in Tennessee, but I’m in Philadelphia. I’m a Philadelphia Eagle now. And that’s what it’s more about. Moving forward and making plays to help this team.”
