Chicago Bears To Replace Eddie Jackson With Kevin Byard

This is the third team Byard, a two-time All-Pro will be on in less than a year. The Eagles acquired Byard in a trade ahead of the trade deadline from the Tennessee Titans. Things did not work out in Philadelphia.

In ten games with the Eagles, Byard had 75 tackles, 3 passes defended, and an interception. Philadelphia decided to release him, saving $13.7 million in salary cap space. For the season, he did rack up 122 tackles, a career high.

In his career, Byard has 28 career interceptions, 33 passes defended, and 749 tackles. In 2017, he led the league with eight interceptions.

Byard, who was the Titans’ third-round pick in 2016, played seven-plus seasons with the team. He earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors in 2017 and 2021. The Titans decided to sell off so they shipped Byard to Philadelphia.

Now Byard comes to Chicago to try to show that last season was a blip. The Bears hope he shows that he still has something left in his tank. While they have him, it won’t prevent them from going after a safety in the draft.

Byard is 30 years old, not the age general manager Ryan Poles usually looks for in players. Nearly every other player in the Chicago Bears secondary is 24 years old, with just one at 25 and another at 27. He hopes to help the Chicago Bears get into the playoffs.

Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus, who will be calling the defensive plays, is pretty familiar with Byard. He got to face him twice a season between 2018 and 2021. During that time, Eberflus was the Indianapolis Colts defensive coordinator.

Jackson was a ball hawk for the Chicago Bears. He had 15 interceptions, 10 forced fumbles, and six fumble recoveries. He had two Pro Bowl appearances and an All-Pro. Injuries derailed his career in Chicago.

Now that the Chicago Bears have their secondary addressed, the attention once again is trained on their quarterback situation. Does Poles keep the number one pick in April’s draft or does he trade it for a historic haul and build around current starting quarterback Justin Fields?

We will soon get the answer to that question. We will also see how Poles continues to strengthen the roster as he did last year. He has been disciplined in his approach and has kept true to his vision, even as some questioned his moves when he made them.