Kevin Byard is no longer a member of the Philadelphia Eagles and will test the free agent market for the first time in his career. The last several months have been quite the ride for Byard after he was traded in October.

Byard had a pretty solid 2023 season. Per Pro Football Focus, Byard graded out as the seventh-best safety among 32 qualifying safeties with at least 936 coverage snaps during the regular season. The strength of his game was more in run defense and tackling, where he missed just 4.7% of his tackles -the lowest rate out of all the aforementioned players- and his 88 solo tackles where seventh-most. 

Where his game dipped was in coverage. Quarterbacks diced the former Pro Bowler up 79.7% of the time, third-highest at his position, and averaged a 106.4 QB rating when throwing his way, which finished fifth-highest. Still, Byard allowed just two touchdowns all year long and managed to log a pick.

It's clear the move was salary-related, more than it was performance-related, as the Eagles saved more than $13 million with the move.

Either way, Byard still has some gas left in the tank, but there's no shying away from the fact that he'll turn 31 before the season starts. Ultimately, a team would get a player with a shorter shelf life, but an effective one, and, they'd get an instant leader who can either help instill or grow a positive culture in both the locker room and the community.

So, let's not waste any more time and check out the three fits that make the most sense for Byard.

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1) New York Giants

On paper, this is about as sensical as one can get. The Giants hired Shane Bowen to run the defense after Wink Martindale's departure and Bowen was on Mike Vrabel's defensive staff for the past six seasons. That includes a two-year stint as defensive coordinator. 

The coaching familiarity and scheme familiarity are both there and the Giants could have a big need at safety with Xavier McKinney on track to hit free agency. Jason Pinnock would also be a great complementary piece to Byard and vice-versa. Plus, Byard could help teach Pinnock the defense.

The Giants have decent cap space, too, with almost $32.2 million in the bank. The price obviously needs to be right, but the fit is certainly there.

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2) Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers don't have any coaching connections, but there is a schematic fit. 

Pittsburgh wants to keep Minkah Fitzpatrick in centerfield to avoid more injuries, therefore, they need a guy who can play closer to the line. As mentioned earlier, Byard can do just that. In terms of advanced run stats, Byard finished with the fourth-lowest missed tackle rate (7.3%) among the 32 safeties with at least 353 run defense snaps during the regular season. He did while recording an average depth of tackle of 7.6 yards past the line of scrimmage – 25 players finished with a shallower ADOT, yet only two yielded a lower missed tackle rate. And, if you're into grades, Byard graded out as the fourth-best run defender out of the 32 safeties.

Byard can also play centerfield when/if needed – he just doesn't need to be back there on occasion. What potentially holds this up is the salary cap, as the Steelers have just under $8 million in cap room, but the team can free up $10 million with the eventual Allen Robinson release and there are other cuts/restructures that can help create room, as well.

This scenario has a bit more elevation to the climb than the Giants' path, but it's still a walkable one that makes sense.

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3) Philadelphia Eagles

We've seen this movie plenty of times over during past offseasons: A high-priced veteran is released so he can test the market, but, there's a place for him to come back to if he doesn't like what he discovers. He's a fit in Vic Fangio's two-high defense, but the dollar amount simply didn't make sense.

Yes, Byard didn't have an incredible season with the Eagles. Who the hell did over the last two months, though? The whole team was in incredible disarray from the top-down and it was nearly impossible for anyone on the roster to have copious amounts of success.

There's also Nick Sirianni's latest statement about wanting to re-instill the 2022 culture and mentality that got the Eagles to the Super Bowl. If he really wants to do that, then having a guy like Byard on the roster is an absolute must and is someone who can certainly help get that back on track. 

Don't be surprised if we see a late reunion or one during the summer.

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