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Veteran safety Kevin Byard is very likely going to be one of the most crucial additions the Chicago Bears made this offseason.
Chicago inked Byard to a two-year, $15 million contract in March, with $7.4 million guaranteed. After cutting ties with former free safety Eddie Jackson, who spent the previous seven seasons in the Windy City, the Bears added Byard to shore up the middle of the field as Jackson’s replacement.
When speaking with the media during OTAs, Byard revealed how his ability to play both strong and free safety will help the secondary, particularly third-year defensive back Jaquan Brisker.
“I know a little bit of last year, Bojack (Jackson) was kind of in the back or whatever and he (Brisker) was kind of in the box. I don’t want to see that this year, at least for us early on. Just kind of work it. Let’s be versatile,” Byard said, before elaborating further.
Kevin Byard Promises to Bring Versatility to Secondary Eddie Jackson Lacked
Brisker, a hard-hitting and athletic safety who has yet to enter his prime, should pair well with Byard, who plans to work with the young DB when it comes to disguising coverages.
“I don’t want teams to get a bead on: ‘Hey, you’re in the box or I’m deep’ or anything like that. Let’s both do the same things so teams can’t really get a bead on what the coverage is,” Byard said.
Per PFF, Byard has played 4,002 snaps at free safety, 2,709 snaps in the box and 1,249 lined up in the slot over his eight years in the NFL. With that kind of depth and experience, it will be interesting to see what he’ll bring to the Bears’ secondary.
“I think that’s what the league is now. You want guys to be versatile,” Byard noted, adding:
“I think it’s a lot for quarterbacks and things like that. As you watch film, teams are looking for any type of keys or clues to tell what type of defense these guys are going to run. So we don’t want to be able to give that away. We want to be able to be versatile and try to make it hard for offenses.”
To be clear, Byard wasn’t bad-mouthing Jackson, but simply stating he could disguise his coverages better than the former Bear.
Byard Looking to Bounce Back With Bears in 2024
Byard, 30, is a two-time All-Pro. After playing for the Tennessee Titans for over seven seasons, Byard was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles mid-season last year. He struggled a bit in Philly, perhaps in part because he had to learn a new system on the fly without training camp or the preseason.
The Eagles released Byard in a cap-saving move this spring, and the Bears scooped him up. In 16 games with the Eagles and Titans combined last season, Byard finished with 122 total tackles, three pass breakups and an interception.
Now, he joins a young secondary that includes Brisker, Pro Bowl cornerback Jaylon Johnson and emerging third-year DB Kyler Gordon.
“I expect us to be really good this year,” Byard said about Chicago’s defense. If he and Brisker can become a formidable duo in coverage and against the run, that expectation should come to fruition.
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