Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com compiled a list of probable players who are on the roster bubble with free agency just around the corner. Names who are likely commanding more money than their teams are willing to pay, and thus face being released. Most of them are ones that wouldn’t interest the Bears either due to their position or age.
However, there was at least one that stuck out. Expectations are that the New Orleans Saints will cut safety Jairus Byrd with the post-June 1st designation, thus freeing up $7.8 million of badly needed cap space.
“Not long ago, he was ranked No. 1 on our list of top free agents. It’s telling that Byrd’s nondescript 2016 season felt like a victory for the Saints, just because he stayed on the field. Few entrenched NFL operatives pile up dead money for free agency mistakes like Sean Payton and Mickey Loomis.”
Back in 2014, Byrd signed a massive six-year deal worth $54 million ($18.3 million guaranteed). The hope at the time was the Saints were getting one of the premier ball hawk safeties in the NFL. Byrd had delivered a whopping 22 interceptions in his previous five seasons with the Buffalo Bills. Unfortunately problems came up almost right away.
Byrd played just four games that first year before tearing the meniscus in his knee and was lost for the season. Making matters worse was the woeful lack of cohesion the team had in terms of finding a proper defensive coordinator. They had Rob Ryan the first year, then switched to Dennis Allen midway through the next. At the same time going from a 3-4 scheme to a 4-3 in the process.
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How can one expect even a veteran free agent to excel under those conditions? Nevertheless it looked like towards the end of 2016 that Byrd was finally rediscovering his playmaking talent.
From the start of this offseason the Bears made it clear one of their primary goals of 2017 was to find defensive backs who could help them force more turnovers. Sure it would be nice if they could find younger options like a Tony Jefferson or Duron Harmon rather than somebody who turns 31-years old this October like Byrd. Even so that’s not the way free agency works. Sometimes the big names don’t fall your way.
Part of building a successful units, offensively or defensively, is about finding solutions for every position for that season. Sometimes it’s a young draft pick or ascending free agent. Other times it can be a veteran pickup most had left for dead who experiences a career resurgence at the right time. The Bears have already done it once before with Tracey Porter, another former Saints defensive back.
Why can’t they do the same with Byrd? He’s still got that explosive speed and nose for the football. If the team could squeeze two or three good years out of him it would be worth the effort and the money.
