More than a week before the trade deadline, the Philadelphia Eagles have started to work the market to improve their team. We had heard for weeks that a player in the secondary was a primary target of the Eagles. Well, they made that a priority by going out and getting Kevin Byard from the Tennessee Titans.
The Eagles gave up 2024 fifth and sixth-round picks as well as safety Terrell Edmunds in return for acquiring Byard. Let’s examine how that trade grades out on both sides of this deal.
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Philadelphia Eagles Swing Another Great Trade in Acquiring Kevin Byard
There is no other way of cutting this than to say the Eagles have absolutely aced this move. They gave up two Day 3 picks next April and a safety who would’ve become a backup after Byard’s arrival to secure an upgrade at the position.
In terms of finances, Philadelphia is taking on little in the way of additional cap. Byard’s contract has a $4 million salary for 2023 and a further $9.6 million salary, as well as $4.5 million in bonuses in 2024.
That money in 2024 is not guaranteed, meaning the Eagles could move on from Byard after this summer (or renegotiate his deal) with no dead money to worry about.
Edmunds’ deal was a one-year contract that will see the Eagles eat the $250,000 signing bonus they paid him and carry the $680,592 they have already paid him this year. For the remainder of the year, they will owe Byard $2.588 million.
Getting a top-class safety for a total cap hit of just over $3 million and spending two Day 3 picks to do so is as close to as good as it gets.
Eagles Grade: A
On the other side of the trade, it seems odd that Tennessee could not have found a better deal for a very good player in Byard. Compensation-wise, they get a solid starting option that they can evaluate for the rest of the year in Edmunds and two Day 3 picks they can use to add depth or help them move around in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Titans re-negotiated Byard’s deal in the offseason, so they will eat a chunk of dead money. Their dead money number for 2023 is $7.273 million plus the salary they have already paid him.
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They will also carry $13.359 million in dead money in 2024. While that amount is not significant in terms of the game, it seems odd when we’re only talking about a $6 million saving for next year.
The key for the Titans here is that they are ready to turn the page on the current team, and this deal starts that process. The question now is how many more players will head out the door. Usually, when one team gets an A grade for a trade, you expect the other side to lose.
However, for the Titans, this trade is merely a neutral situation. Tennessee wanted to move on and shift $13.6 million in salary from their books, and they got a handful of useful pieces to help them build out the depth of their roster.
Titans fans will not be feeling warm inside by this move, but it’s also not one that they will look back to regret heavily down the line.
Titans Grade: C