Kevin Byard

31-Year-Old SafetyS

Chicago Bears

2024 Defense Stats

TCKL

SACKS

1.0

INT

Rest-of-Season Projections

TCKL

SACKS

INT

Unlock Our Projections

2024 Fantasy Outlook

Byard served as the anchor of the Titans' secondary for the last six seasons, serving both as one of their most productive players as well as a leader of the team. After a somewhat tumultuous half-season with the Eagles, Byard signed a two-year deal with the Bears this offseason and will look to help the young defense take a step forward. He should return to his role as the center fielder of the defense and will form a formidable pairing with Jaquan Brisker on the back end of the secondary. Byard has topped 100 tackles in three of the last four seasons and has a history of causing turnovers. He should have at least a couple more years of elite production in the tank as he heads into his age-30 season. Read Past Outlooks

RANKS

#272

ADP

IDP

Bye Week 7

Height 5'11"

Weight 212

DOB 8/17/1993

College Middle Tennessee

Drafted 3rd Rd 2016 #64 Overall

Strong performance in defeat

SChicago Bears

November 3, 2024

Byard tallied eight tackles and a sack in the Bears' 29-9 loss to the Cardinals on Sunday.

ANALYSIS
Byard has recorded between five and eight stops in each of his last six games. The veteran has emerged as a solid-floor IDP option.

Read More News

NFL Stats

Loading NFL Stats...

2024

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2017

2016

2024 NFL Game Log

Calculate Stats Over Time

Just click on any two dates.

Loading Game Log...

2023 NFL Game Log

Calculate Stats Over Time

Just click on any two dates.

Loading Game Log...

2022 NFL Game Log

Calculate Stats Over Time

Just click on any two dates.

Loading Game Log...

2021 NFL Game Log

Calculate Stats Over Time

Just click on any two dates.

Loading Game Log...

2020 NFL Game Log

Calculate Stats Over Time

Just click on any two dates.

Loading Game Log...

2019 NFL Game Log

Calculate Stats Over Time

Just click on any two dates.

Loading Game Log...

2018 NFL Game Log

Calculate Stats Over Time

Just click on any two dates.

Loading Game Log...

2017 NFL Game Log

Calculate Stats Over Time

Just click on any two dates.

Loading Game Log...

2016 NFL Game Log

Calculate Stats Over Time

Just click on any two dates.

Loading Game Log...

Snap Distribution / Depth Chart

Snap Counts

Snap %

Bears 2024 S Snap Distribution See more data like this | See last season's snap counts

K.Kevin Byard

J.Jaquan Brisker

E.Elijah Hicks

J.Jonathan Owens

#% of Team Snaps

46998%

28359%

19841%

122%

Loading Weekly Snap Counts...

#1 FS

Bears

View Full Depth Chart

2024 Kevin Byard Split Stats

Loading NFL Split Stats...

Recent RotoWire Articles Featuring Kevin Byard See More

Gameday Injuries: Week 4

37 days ago

Juan Carlos Blanco has the latest early Sunday morning news on a host of key Week 4 injuries across the NFL.

Week 4 Friday Injury Report: Raiders and Chargers Ailing, Olave Injured, Kittle Cleared

39 days ago

Jakobi Meyers and Brock Bowers should see a lot of targets with Davante Adams and Michael Mayer ruled out. RW's Jerry Donabedian breaks down all the other big injury news and fantasy implications from Friday.

NFL Game Previews: Jets-49ers Monday Night Matchup

61 days ago

Erik Siegrist previews the Monday night matchup as Aaron Rodgers returns to the field for the Jets.

2024 Philadelphia Eagles Preview: Roster Moves, Depth Chart, Schedule, Storylines and More

88 days ago

After sputtering down the stretch and being one-and-done in the playoffs last season, the Eagles brought in RB Saquon Barkley this offseason with an aim to stabilize an offense led by QB Jalen Hurts.

2024 Chicago Bears Preview: Roster Moves, Depth Chart, Schedule, Storylines and More

106 days ago

The selection of QB Caleb Williams, first overall, in the 2024 Draft places the Bears immediately in the NFL spotlight. Helping the rookie's cause will be a bolstered supporting cast on offense.

Past Fantasy Outlooks

2023

2022

2021

2020

2019

2018

2016

Byard might be the most reliable defender in the league from a fantasy perspective. Since being drafted in the third round in 2016, he has yet to miss a game, and the last six seasons he's played more than 1,000 snaps every year while recording 84 to 111 tackles and snagging at least four interceptions five times. At some point that workload might catch up to him, but as yet there's been no signs that the foundation of the Titans' secondary is beginning to crack. As long as he's healthy, his role in Mike Vrabel's defense won't change.

Byard probably can’t match the tackle production of the top defensive back IDPs, but he’s no slouch in that regard and is otherwise one of the league’s best safeties. Last year, Byard logged his second five-interception season in three years, giving him 23 interceptions over his last five years. He also has 53 passes defended in the last five years.

Rank Byard higher than this in leagues that reward well for interceptions, just realize that his 111 tackles from last year — a career high by 21 — don't appear likely to repeat. The Titans defense fell apart and Byard had to clean up more messes than usual, but he normally plays more of a center-field role than a tackle machine up front. By the same token it must be noted that Byard normally does much more in coverage than he did last year — his one interception from 2020 is a stark outlier considering his 17 interceptions in the three prior seasons.

It'd normally be reckless to target a defensive back IDP who projects for fewer than 90 tackles, but Byard poses an exception, especially in leagues that award extra points for interceptions. He has 17 interceptions in his last 3,244 snaps, which is consistent with the production he showed at Middle Tennessee State, where he intercepted 19 passes in 49 games. As much as he's still vulnerable to regression, this seems to be who he is. He's probably due for a higher tackle rate than what he showed in 2019, when he averaged 0.0754 tackles per snap last year, as opposed to 0.0831 over the two years prior. It's a difference that would amount to about nine more tackles on last year's 1,114-snap workload.

In an era with many emerging standout safeties, Byard may be the unchallenged leader of them all when it comes to coverage ability. He's perhaps the most feared ballhawk in the league after picking off 12 passes the last two years. His tackle production could regress despite its initial modesty (177 in the last two years), but Byard is a rare case where the interception production appears bankable. It's the same thing he did in college at Middle Tennessee, where he intercepted an absurd 19 passes, including four returned for touchdowns.

No safety in the NFL pounces on the ball like Byard, whose eight interceptions and 16 passes defensed last year were forewarned by his superb college production at Middle Tennessee, where he snatched 19 interceptions in four years, returning four for touchdowns. His IDP utility isn't interception-dependent, however, as his 87 tackles from last year play in mainstream IDP scenarios, too. Eight interceptions a year is too much to ask, but Byard should rank at or near the top in the category most years going forward.

The 2016 third-rounder joins a deep group of safeties that includes presumed starters Da’Norris Searcy and Rashad Johnson, as well as Daimion Stafford, Marqueston Huff and Josh Aubrey. Byard’s 19 interceptions at Middle Tennessee State indicate that he possesses elite ball skills, but the Titans have the resources to bring him along slowly as he makes the adjustment from Conference USA to the NFL. While he’ll make the roster, expectations should be tempered for the rookie.

More Fantasy News

Solid in blowout win

SChicago Bears

October 14, 2024

Byard recorded seven tackles (four solo) and a pass defensed during Sunday's 35-16 win against the Jaguars.

ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.

Picks off pass

SChicago Bears

October 6, 2024

Byard intercepted a pass and tallied six tackles in the Bears' 36-10 win over the Panthers on Sunday.

ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.

Active versus Rams

SChicago Bears

September 29, 2024

Byard (back) is active for Sunday's game against the Rams.

ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.

Listed questionable for Week 4

SChicago Bears

Back

September 27, 2024

Byard (back) is questionable for Sunday's game against the Rams.

ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.

Nursing back injury

SChicago Bears

Back

September 26, 2024

Byard (back) did not participate in Thursday's practice session.

ANALYSIS
Subscribe now to instantly reveal our take on this news.

Latest Fantasy Rumors

Visits Chicago on Friday

SFree Agent

March 9, 2024

Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that the Bears hosted Byard, who registered a career-high 122 tackles in 2023, on Friday.

ANALYSIS
The Eagles acquired Byard from the Titans near the trade deadline, but Philadelphia opted to release the safety March 1 in a move that saved the team $13 million in cap space. The Bears solidified their secondary by re-signing 2023 second-team All-Pro corner Jaylon Johnson to a four-year, $76 million extension Thursday. Adding a veteran safety like Byard could improve a Chicago defense that gave up 237.8 passing yards per game last season, which was eighth most in the NFL.

See All NFL Rumors