Buying Byard

Despite already being a championship-caliber football team, the never satisfied 6-1 Philadelphia Eagles continue to patch up their roster holes, the latest being a trade for two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard.

On the latest episode of “Inside The Birds,” Adam Caplan and Geoff Mosher gave intel on the team’s blockbuster move and gave a discussed standouts from the Sunday night victory over the Miami Dolphins. 

Getty Images: Safety Kevin Byard brings experience and playmaking ability to the Eagles secondary

Kevin Byard

Adam Caplan: “Byard is 30, people can debate whether he is the same player he once was, but is a starter, incredibly durable, a leader. The fact that they agreed to a trade on Monday afternoon, I can’t imagine he won’t be able to learn some nuances of the defense. He is healthy, he should play this Sunday.”

Geoff Mosher: “In this defense, he doesn’t have to be a two-time All Pro safety to be a good player or helping this defense. By nature of him being a good, experienced safety, he is going to be an upgrade over Terrell Edmunds.”

Caplan: “The knock from a personnel standpoint from the first guy we talked to said he is just not making plays on the ball like he used to. That doesn’t always tell the story, he still had four picks last year. He is a well-built guy.”

Byard’s Contract

Caplan: “His salary next year, which was adjusted before training camp, the $9.6 million is not guaranteed. The total compensation due in 2024 is $13.6 million. None of it is guaranteed. The bottom line is if they want him back, they just negotiate with the agent and figure it out together.”

A.J. Brown

Caplan: “Show me another receiver who plays through contact like this guy. It is unbelievable. This guy, do we call him unstoppable?…This guy is special, is a leader. It is just remarkable what he has done here.”

Mosher: “As far as the ability to make yards after catch, play with tremendous strength, I don’t know if there is that much of a difference between A.J. Brown and Terrell Owens. We are watching something that is really special. It is five straight [games] with 125 [yards], the only person to do that in the modern era is Calvin Johnson.”

Sean Desai

Caplan: “We talked to someone, a scout with another team, who said it is not even close with Desai versus (Jonathan) Gannon. The fronts and how Desai mixes up his coverage from game-to-game and his philosophy to post-snap disguise. The guy is really good.”

– Benjamin Paul is a staff writer for InsideTheBirds.com.