6 Eagles Cap Casualty Cuts to Save Millions This Offseason

1. Kevin Byard, S

Pre-June 1 Savings: $13 million
Pre-June 1 Dead Money: $1.39 million
Post-June 1 Savings: $14 million
Post-June 1 Dead Money: $346,500

Already the top team in the NFL, the Eagles decided to swing for the fences at the trade deadline. Knowing they needed to improve their secondary, they pulled off a trade for Kevin Byard, a former Pro Bowl safety with the Tennessee Titans.

Byard played in 10 games for the Eagles and had 75 tackles and an interception. While he played well in his role, the defense as a whole continued to struggle against the pass. With Vic Fangio taking over, this is going to be a major point of emphasis as he aims to get the secondary on track.

With that being the case, he’s likely going to have a role for Byard — but there’s also a chance he could be someone they look at potentially moving on from.

Byard will turn 31 before the season begins and he’s one of the highest paid players on the team. He also has a contract they can get out of without much penalty. As a pre-June 1 cut, the Eagles could save $13 million with just $1.39 million in dead money. That dead money falls to $346,500 with $14 million in relief as a post-June 1 release.

It will all come down to whether or not they want to use that money to improve the defense as a whole, or if they’re comfortable paying Byard while still needing to fill holes around him.

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