3 Most Overrated Eagles From the 2023-24 NFL Season

2. Kevin Byard

Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman sought an upgrade at one of the safety spots near the trade deadline. 

Roseman thought the former Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard would come in and make plays in the secondary, but that wasn’t the case. Now granted, we have to give Byard some grace, as the Eagles’ defense was a mess this season. 

Sean Desai, who the Eagles hired as the defensive coordinator last offseason, saw his duties dwindle closer to the bye week, and the team ultimately decided to turn over the DC role to Matt Patricia.

That wasn’t the best idea late in the season, as the defense looked confused at all three levels as players were playing out of position. The 30-year-old safety didn’t look like the playmaker we saw in the previous eight years with the Titans.

In 10 games with Philadelphia, Byard had 75 combined tackles, three pass deflections, and an interception. However, the veteran defensive back wasn’t the strongest in pass coverage, as he had a 75.6 completion percentage allowed on targets (career-high), a 103.3 pass rating when targeted allowed, and two receiving touchdowns allowed.

There’s a chance that Byard will be back in Philadelphia next season, as he has a $9.6M base salary and a $14.2M cap hit. However, some Eagles fans would rather the team let go of the veteran safety and address the position in the draft or free agency.