If you were going to draw up the perfect secondary consisting of the best defensive backs in the NFL, Tennessee Titans safety Kevin Byard would no doubt be part of it.
And that’s the way Pro Football Focus sees it, also, as the outlet named Byard as one of the safeties in its “ideal NFL secondary for 2020”.
“The Titans still play those shells on well over half of their defensive snaps, but they run some variety of split safety look on around a third of their defensive snaps (32.6% Cover 2, 4 of 6), and Byard has had three-straight good or great seasons. Byard has been a ballhawk in his time in the league, averaging over 10 combined interceptions and pass breakups in each of the past three seasons. He is a solid tackler, too, missing just 10 over the past two seasons on over 170 tackle attempts. Byard would be a good safety within any coverage system, which makes him the best for this one.”
When looking back at general manager Jon Robinson’s past draft picks, Byard is no doubt one of the very best.
The Titans were able to nab an elite safety in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft, Robinson’s first year on the job. Since then, he has been a huge part of what the Titans do and is a great leader on the defense.
For his efforts, the Titans signed Byard to a five-year extension worth $70.5 million, making him the highest-paid safety in the NFL.
Along with Kenny Vaccaro, the Titans have one of the best tandems at the safety position in the NFL.
Byard, who is the ball-hawking deep safety blanket capable of piling up interceptions, is the perfect complement to Vaccaro, a sensational run-stuffing safety who can play in the box and in coverage.
While the Titans are going to be looking for some cornerback help for the rest of free agency and in the 2020 NFL Draft, the team can be rest assured that the back end of the secondary is already well taken care of.