Safety Kevin Byard didn’t want to be traded when the Titans asked him to take a pay cut this offseason and later agreed to a revised contract with the team that seemed to signal he would play the year in Tennessee.
A subpar start to the Titans season and a need in the secondary for the Eagles caused that outlook to change this week. Byard was traded to the Eagles and met with the media Wednesday for the first time since the deal.
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 “just come in to learn the playbook, build a relationship with the guys and just try to come in and help as much as I can” on a team that enjoys a far better spot in the standings than just left his team.
“This is my eighth season and I feel really good, even after having an off week,” Byard said via the team’s website. “I definitely feel fresh at the moment. This team has a great culture and I just want to contribute to it. It feels good to wake up 6-1.”
Byard’s first game with his new team will be this Sunday against the Commanders, and helping them to a win will ensure the Eagles remain atop both the NFC East and the NFC overall.