In free agency, the Chicago Bears signed two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard, who not only adds skill to the secondary but also a gruff demeanour.
At his first press conference on Thursday, March 14, Byard gave a clear message to the NFC North Division-winning Detroit Lions after showcasing his remarkable defence knowledge of Chicago.
Kevin Byard says he knows a lot of the Bears secondary already given how much film he’s consumed. Naming players by name, their traits.” ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reported via X. “Says he knows Montez Sweat from his high school days (Sweat went to Byard’s rival HS). The goal for Byard in joining the Bears D? ‘Knock Detroit off their high horse.’
Byard is an eight-year pro who spent the first seven and a half seasons of his NFL career as a member of the Tennessee Titans. The franchise selected him in the third round of the 2016 draft.
The safety earned Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors for the first time in 2017, when he led the league with eight interceptions. Byard earned the exact same honors in 2021 on the heels of the Titans’ third consecutive playoff berth.
Tennessee dealt Byard to the Philadelphia Eagles ahead of last year’s mid-season trade deadline, and Philly cut him this offseason in the interest of saving $13 million against the salary cap. Byard, who will play the upcoming campaign at 31 years old, subsequently signed a two-year deal worth $15 million to join the Bears.
Over the course of his professional tenure Byard has amassed 749 tackles, 66 pass breakups and 28 interceptions, per Pro Football Reference. He has started 121 of 130 regular-season games over the last eight seasons, missing only one contest during that time.
Byard played more than 1,100 defensive snaps in 2023 and was an exceptional run defender from the position, per Pro Football Focus (PFF). He was also solid in coverage and roughly average as a pass rusher in a limited capacity, according to PFF’s advanced analytics metric.
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