After eight weeks for the New England Patriots in 2020 — Damiere Byrd is the team’s leading receiver.
Not Julian Edelman or N’Keal Harry, but the 5-foot-9 speedster that hasn’t surpassed 400 receiving yards in his previous four NFL seasons. Fortunately for Byrd, the Patriots brought in his former quarterback with the Carolina Panthers. Cam Newton and Byrd spent three seasons as teammates and that’s translated into this year.
Byrd leads the team in targets (41), receptions (26), receiving yards (337) and he has the second-most first downs (17). While speaking with reporters on Friday, Newton talked about his former teammate.
“Man, when I first got here, I had to just take a moment to just chat, just like I’ve done with a lot of people here. But for Damiere, to have known him and where he came from and his journey to where he is now,” Newton said, transcribed by NESN. “Man, I just wanted to appreciate his professionalism and his evolving of a player, a football player that is, and he’s just been great. A guy who understands this offense, a guy who has been learning so much, a guy who has just taken an opportunity and tried to make the most of it.”
Newton’s just happy to see his friend progress.
“Like I said, I seen when Damiere first stepped in the locker room as a wide-eyed rookie not knowing who to kind of cling on to. But for him, the moment is never too big for him and every year he’s gotten better and I think he still has his best football still set ahead of him,” Newton said.
Going forward, it’s likely that Jakobi Meyers takes over and has the primary role in the Patriots’ offense. Isaiah Ford was added to the mix after being traded from the Miami Dolphins, but these factors will only help get Byrd more open.
The Patriots (3-5) have a huge AFC matchup against the Baltimore Ravens (6-2) on Sunday night.
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