There wasn’t a team in the NFL that disappointed as much as the Philadelphia Eagles over the last two months. After starting the season 10-1, they collapsed down the stretch, winning only one game the rest of the season.
The Eagles lost five out of six games to end the regular season, limping into the playoffs. They didn’t look like a team that wanted to be there when they went on the road and were defeated easily by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 32-9.
There will certainly be changes made this offseason as the team looks to get things back on track. Rumors have swirled about the job security of head coach Nick Sirianni, who had zero answers to stop the team from spiraling out of control.
NFL News & Rumors: Kevin Byard & Philadelphia Eagles Updates
He isn’t the only person whose place on the coaching staff will be questioned, but the roster will need some changes as well. The Eagles struggled in several areas during the season and could use an upgrade.
Finding upgrades will not be easy as the team has some salary cap issues to sift through first. But, one player who could be on the chopping block, in the opinion of Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report, is safety Kevin Byard.
Byard hasn’t even spent a full season with the Eagles, as he was acquired ahead of the trade deadline from the Tennessee Titans. However, his contract wasn’t negotiated by the Eagles. So, it isn’t structured the same as his teammates, who are much tougher to cut because of cap implications.
“The Philadelphia Eagles are in a tough spot because of the way many of their biggest contracts are structured. Most of them include a large amount of dead money, making easy cuts hard to find. For example, cornerback James Bradberry, who underwhelmed this season, would trigger a $17.2 million dead-cap hit if released.
The one easy contract to pinpoint is that of safety Kevin Byard, who was acquired from the Tennessee Titans in October for fifth- and sixth-round draft picks and safety Terrell Edmunds.”
NFL News & Rumors: Kevin Byard & Philadelphia Eagles Updates
Still a starting-caliber safety in the NFL with durability rivaled by few players, Byard has some value. But, to the Eagles, is that value worth being the third-highest-paid player on the team? While his statistics were good in Philadelphia, he didn’t do as much as some people thought he would to move the needle defensively.
$13 million is a lot of money to save when the Eagles are projected to have about $29 million in cap space currently. With so many holes on their roster, that money could be better allocated elsewhere to upgrade multiple spots on the team.
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