The Titans laid the foundation to trade away Kevin Byard months ago

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans made headlines on Monday by trading fan-favorite and all-pro safety Kevin Byard to the Philadelphia Eagles for multiple draft picks and safety Terrell Edmunds. For many, this move may seem shocking. Waving the white flag isn't really Mike Vrabel's style. 2-4 is a rocky start, but it's a far cry […]

Sam Phalen
Add as preferred source on Google
Mike Vrabel, Kevin Byard
George Walker IV / Tennessean.com-USA TODAY NETWORK

NASHVILLE — The Tennessee Titans made headlines on Monday by trading fan-favorite and all-pro safety Kevin Byard to the Philadelphia Eagles for multiple draft picks and safety Terrell Edmunds.

For many, this move may seem shocking. Waving the white flag isn't really Mike Vrabel's style. 2-4 is a rocky start, but it's a far cry from a death sentence. Why would the Titans deal one of their best players and locker room leaders?

The answer is actually very simple and the writing has been on the wall for months now.

Prior to Monday's trade, the Titans did not have a pick in the 3rd, 5th, or 6th round of the 2024 NFL Draft. They are a 2-4 team falling out of contention with very little draft capital waiting in the wings.

GM Ran Carthon has to consider what's best for the franchise moving forward, and with Byard sitting on an expiring contract, getting two picks and a replacement safety is solid value.

Byard is the seventh NFL player to be traded this season. The 2024 5th and 6th round picks Tennessee netted in return is the most compensation of any midseason trade so far. Besides, we've known for months now that Carthon was more than willing to move Byard's contract.

There was a lot of tension surrounding Byard's contract status during the offseason when Carthon and the Titans asked Byard to take a pay cut from the $11.,27 million he was scheduled to make against the cap. It was clear back then that Byard was one of the veterans the Titans were most comfortable with moving on from.

At the time, sources close to the situation indicated to AtoZ Sports that Byard's camp felt like his time in Tennessee was coming to a close.

Luckily the Titans were able to work out an agreement to keep Byard in the two-tone bleu for the beginning of the season. Both Carthon and Mike Vrabel understood the importance of having a professional like Byard in the locker room leading your defense. But at 2-4…priorities change.

If there is already an understanding within the organization that the Titans are going to go in a different direction this offseason, it makes sense to get what draft capital you can now. Some of the issues with this Titans team might not be fixable. Now it's time to wait and see how many other dominoes fall.

Related Articles