Wide receiver Damiere Byrd became the New England Patriots’ first signed free agent from the outside this offseason.
Byrd, 27, spent his first three NFL seasons wit the Carolina Panthers and played last year with the Arizona Cardinals. He totaled his best numbers in Arizona after receiving 32 catches for 359 yards and a touchdown. Byrd has 44 career receptions for 488 yards and three touchdowns.
He joins a receiver corps that consists of Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry, Mohamed Sanu, Jakobi Meyers, Devin Ross and Quincy Adeboyejo. New England’s receiving corps is nowhere near elite compared to many teams in the NFL and the signing of Byrd doesn’t alleviate the fact that Tom Brady will no longer be the signal-caller.
He’ll provide the Patriots with elite speed, and the potential of growth is there after having a breakthrough season last year. Byrd’s 5-foot-9, 180 pound build makes him the ideal slot receiver for the Patriots’ offense. During his pro day at South Carolina, he clocked a blazing 4.28 40-yard dash and that speed is still prevalent.
Most importantly, Byrd returned both kicks and punts in the NFL at a reliable rate. He returned 12 punts with an average of 9.4 yards per return and 14 kicks with an average of 25.2 yards per return — including one touchdown.
The Patriots have a lot to figure out and the absence of Brady will be an extremely tough transition for the team. But, New England is low on cap space and needs to bring in coachable players who don’t demand top tier money.
Signing Byrd was a good start, but the team needs a lot more offensive firepower to compensate for losing the greatest quarterback in NFL history.
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