Friday will be a homecoming for a Chicago Bears standout when the Philadelphia Eagles host the NFC North leaders at Lincoln Financial Field.
Bears safety Kevin Byard was with the Eagles for less than a season, so he’s “not expecting a tribute video” at the Linc. But the Philadelphia native is looking forward to his return.
“It’s awesome, man,” Byard told reporters in Chicago on Tuesday. “My family’s going to come to the game. My wife is traveling up to the game with everyone. So that’s really awesome.”
Byard, who grew up in West Philadelphia, spent 10 games with the Eagles in 2023. The Tennessee Titans’ two-time All-Pro safety was acquired midway through the season in exchange for a fifth-round pick, a sixth-round pick and safety Terrell Edmunds.
Byard recorded 75 tackles and three passes defended in those 10 games. But after the Eagles’ secondary struggled to improve and the team was eliminated in the NFC Wild Card round, Byard was released. The Eagles saved $13 million in cap space with the move.
Byard called his time with the Eagles “a double-edged sword” for personal reasons.
“A lot of things were going on in my life,” Byard said. “I just had a baby boy two weeks prior. ... He spent his first five months in the (neonatal intensive care unit). So there was a lot of stuff going on off the field that was very challenging for me.
“But on the vice versa, it was a special moment for my family, for my dad to be able to see that Byard last name on the Eagles jersey, the team he’s rooted for his whole life.”
After being released by the Eagles, Byard signed with the Bears on a two-year contract. In 2024, he led Chicago with 130 tackles. This season, the 32-year-old has 59 stops and five interceptions with a two-INT game against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4.
Byard was “robbed,” as Bears safety Jaquan Brisker said, when he wasn’t named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance. That weekly honor, ironically, went to Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, who had five pass breakups vs. the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
His old team will be hoping Byard doesn’t have an accolade-worthy game on Friday.
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