Shocking New: Philadelphia Eagles Star Kevin Byard Rejected The Chicago Bears.

Kevin Byard signing sends clear message about Bears’ plans ahead of Caleb Williams decision originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

Bears general manager Ryan Poles filled a key hole Sunday by signing veteran safety Kevin Byard to a two-year contract just one day before the NFL’s legal tampering window opens on Monday at 11 a.m. C.T.

Byard is a 30-year-old, two-time All-Pro safety who will fill the hole vacated by Eddie Jackson’s release. Byard gives the Bears a free safety, whose skill set should mesh well with Jaquan Brisker. Byard is better in coverage than Jackson and a much surer tackler. Last season, Byard earned a coverage grade of 70.3, per Pro Football Focus, and only missed 4.7 percent of his tackles. Jackson earned a coverage grade of 60.0 and missed 15.6 percent of his tackles. Byard has also started 121 of 130 career games, which gives him a leg up on Jackson in the availability category.

The signing of Byard checks an important box and sends a message about where Poles believes the Bears are at this point in the rebuild ahead of the expected decision to draft Caleb Williams with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

The Bears gave Byard a two-year, $15 million contract despite the market being flooded with veteran safeties from Justin Simmons to Xavier McKinney and Quandre Diggs.

Poles could have let the safety market come to him and taken option B or C if Byard had signed elsewhere. Instead, Poles moved fast to lock down a proven veteran safety who should be a clear upgrade over Jackson in 2024 and 2025.

If Poles didn’t believe the Bears were ready to start contending this fall, there is no reason to give a strong deal to a soon-to-be 31-year-old safety when it’s clear the NFL is devaluing safeties.

Two years ago or even last year, Poles probably would have stayed patient and waited for a value signing at a preferred number. There’s no reason to jump the gun when realistic contention is far off.

But the Bears clearly feel it’s no longer far off.

This is a team that went 7-10 last season while kicking away three games in which they held double-digit leads in the fourth quarter. They did that with the NFL’s 27th-ranked passing offense and a defense that struggled to find its footing early due to injuries and coaching tumult.

The Bears have a young, ascending defense with cornerstones in place at each level in defensive end Montez Sweat, linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, and cornerback Jaylon Johnson. They expect third-year cornerback Kyler Gordon and Brisker to fully blossom in 2024 and have high hopes for cornerback Tyrique Stevenson making a big jump in Year 2.

The Bears believe this defense can be elite if they add the requisite pieces in free agency and the draft (edge rusher is a massive need). Having a top-tier defense can be a young quarterback’s best friend early in his NFL career, and the Bears are signaling they believe Williams can do for them what C.J. Stroud did for the Houston Texans last season if they do right by him. Give a defense that doesn’t ask him to score 35 points a game and add two reliable receivers under DJ Moore, and the Bears believe all the pieces will be in place for their contention window to start opening this fall.

Teams who are still rebuilding don’t overpay for a veteran safety in the backend of his prime or give up a fifth-round pick for a potential swing interior offensive lineman as the Bears did in acquiring Ryan Bates.

Poles’ rebuilding plan has entered a new phase. That was always going to be the case whether Justin Fields or Caleb Williams was the quarterback. One option just made the path to contention much more likely.

It was notable when Wiliams took the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine podium and said he wanted to know if the Bears “want to win.”

When the legal negotiating window opens on Monday, we’ll start to get a clear picture of Poles’ vision for this team and what he expects from them in 2024.

If the Byard signing is any indication, the Bears believe that the time, with Williams expected to arrive in April, is now.

What Kevin Byard deal means for Bears defense, 2024 NFL draft originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

The Bears ticked several important boxes when they agreed to a two-year contract with All-Pro safety Kevin Byard on Sunday. At first glance they added a bigtime ballhawk to replace Eddie Jackson in the back of the defense. They also importantly added a safety who will complement Jaquan Brisker, and filled a big hole on their roster with the draft approaching.

We know what head coach Matt Eberflus wants in his defensive backs. He’s made it clear repeatedly over his two seasons leading the team. Eberflus requires the guys in the secondary to tackle well and take the ball away. Byard meets both marks.

Byard burst onto the NFL in his sophomore season when he led the league with eight interceptions and added two fumble recoveries. He earned First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors that year. Since then he’s been one of the most reliable takeaway machines in the game. In 130 career games Byard has 28 picks, four fumble recoveries, three forced fumbles and one defensive touchdown. Byard was recognized with his second First-Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods in 2021. He’s also an upgrade from Jackson in the tackling department. According to PFF, Byard has a very good 6.8% missed tackle rate over his career. That’s a big upgrade from Jackson’s 14.5% missed tackle rate. Byard set a new personal best with 122 tackles last season.

Durability is another key difference between Jackson and Byard. Jackson missed 10 games between the 2022 and 2023 seasons with a nagging foot injury. He missed two games in 2021 due to a hamstring injury and two more, plus a playoff game in 2018 with an ankle injury. Byard has never missed a game over his eight-year NFL career. He only played 16 games in 2023 because he had a bye week with both the Titans and the Eagles after he was traded to Philadelphia.

Having Byard in the mix should help Brisker play to his strengths, as well. The Bears like to use Brisker in the box as a strong safety due to his big hit upside. The Bears describe him as a “thumper” who helps to defend the middle portion of the field. Byard on the other hand is best known for his work in the deep portion of the field. That natural blend of skillsets should give the Bears the backfield they want in the immediate future.

What the backfield looks like in the distant future is still a question, however. Byard will turn 31 this season, so the Bears likely don’t view him as a long term answer at free safety. Instead, he could be viewed as a high-performing bridge player while the team works to add young talent in the back of the secondary. That’s important because the Bears still have several holes to fill on their roster. They need to add at least two wide receivers, an extra defensive end or two, probably a three-technique defensive tackle, competition on the offensive line and potentially a running back, too.

As things stand, Poles only has five draft picks to work with. By signing Byard to start, the Bears can now move safety down the priority list in this year’s draft. With only Elijah Hicks (655 career snaps) and Quindell Johnson (35 snaps) on the active roster as reserve safeties, the Bears will need to add to the position at some point. But if they don’t add a few more picks before April, Poles may opt to address more pressing needs in the draft.

The Eagles traded Terrell Edmunds and fifth and sixth-round draft picks in the upcoming draft to acquire Byard from the Titans at last year’s trade deadline. The hope was Byard would help to steady their struggling defense for a postseason run, but it didn’t play out for them. The Eagles were bounced by the Bucs in the Wild Card round after Baker Mayfield went off for 337 passing yards and three passing touchdowns.

The Bears cut Jackson last month. That move cleared up over $12.5 million in salary cap space, per Spotrac.