The free agency frenzy doesn’t officially begin until Wednesday with the legal tampering period starting Monday, but the Chicago Bears are already busy looking into some of the top names on the market.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Bears hosted veteran free agent safety Kevin Byard on a visit on Friday ahead of the start of free agency. Byard is allowed to visit with any team before free agency officially begins after being released by the Philadelphia Eagles.
The former two-time first-team All-Pro selection was traded from the Tennessee Titans to the Eagles ahead of the 2023 NFL trade deadline and played the final 10 games of the regular season and the Eagles’ playoff loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers before being released a few days back.
Byard was a fan favorite during his time as the leader of the Titans’ secondary after being drafted in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft. After being traded for safety Terrell Edmunds and 2024 fifth and sixth round draft picks, the overwhelming consensus by many was that the Eagles executed another steal of a trade.
A few months later, that sentiment as since flipped the other way after a subpar showing in Philadelphia led to his release. The former All-Pro is still expected to land a top contract on the open market in free agency with Spotrac projecting him to land a 2-year, $14.4 million contract.
For a player who has the second-most interceptions and most pass deflections since 2017, Byard’s market should still be that high despite being 31-years-old when the 2024 season begins. Byard finished the 2023 season with a career-high 122 tackles but will his age and dependability in coverage be counterintuitive to what the Bears’ should be looking for at the position this offseason?
The #Bears hosted FA S Kevin Byard on a visit yesterday, source said. The former All-Pro was with the #Titans his entire career until a trade to the #Eagles last season.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 9, 2024
Bears Should Shy Away From Byard After His Visit
The Bears are in the market for a new starting safety to pair with Jaquan Brisker this offseason after moving on from veteran fan favorite and former All-Pro himself, Eddie Jackson, to help alleviate some cap concerns.
During the NFL Combine, head coach Matt Eberflus addressed what he’s looking for to fill the vacant position in his secondary and how he plans to replace Jackson’s leadership.
“You’re looking for a guy that pairs well with Jaquan. The guy that we’re looking for, has got to have athletic ability,” Eberflus said. “He’s got to have range, he’s got to have great communication skills. He’s got to have ball skills, we want all of our guys to have the ability to take the ball away. He has to have that too and then eventually grow into a leader.”
If that replacement comes through the free agent market, Eberflus noted that he wants that player to “feel the temperature of the room and dive into the leadership role.”
Like this potential pairing with Brisker a lot. Would be good to have a vet in that super young secondary https://t.co/wxDSdUtMi3
— Brad Spielberger, Esq. (@PFF_Brad) March 9, 2024
All of those characteristics certainly fit Byard’s personality and play style but one can’t help but be concerned about his age and potential contract. The Bears moved on from Jackson specifically due to his high $12.56 million cap hit, his decline in coverage, and the fact that he’s getting older compared to the rest of the secondary.
Personally, I don’t think the best course of action would be to add a player to replace him that is older and will demand a higher cap hit than what Jackson would have had.
For more context, here’s how the two players matched up in coverage in 2023:
Kevin Byard: 30-years-old
Games Played: 16
Targets: 59
Receptions Allowed: 47
Receiving Yards Allowed: 502
Touchdowns Allowed: 2
Interceptions: 1
Eddie Jackson: 30-years-old
Games Played: 12
Targets: 18
Receptions Allowed: 12
Receiving Yards Allowed: 203
Touchdowns Allowed: 3
Interceptions: 1
As you can see, the two players played strikingly similar in coverage in 2023 with Byard being an older player and allowing 1.9 more receptions per game and 14.5 more receiving yards per game during the regular season.
Final Thoughts
The decision to move on from Jackson to replace him with an older player who played worse in coverage last season would be a major mistake for the sake of having an experienced player in the secondary.
With as robust as the safety market is in free agency this offseason, I believe the Bears should be looking for a younger player with more upside at the position if they’re willing to spend big on a aging player like Byard that would fit more with the rest of the team’s young secondary.
