AP source: Titans trade 2-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard to Eagles – Hickory Daily Record

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The defending NFC champion Philadelphia Eagles traded for two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard to help a banged-up secondary hours after beating the NFL’s best offense.

The Eagles are sending safety Terrell Edmunds and fifth and sixth-round draft picks in 2024 to the Tennessee Titans, pending both players passing physicals. The Eagles and Titans confirmed the trade of Tennessee’s five-time defensive captain to Philadelphia on Monday night.

Titans controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk thanked Byard and his wife, Clarke, for their work on and off the field as a model of leadership.

“His phenomenal play and tireless charitable efforts have earned him a special and lasting place in our hearts,” Strunk said in a statement. “Kevin will always be a Titan, and we wish him well this year and in the years to come.”

Philadelphia improved to 6-1 and tied Super Bowl champion Kansas City for the NFL’s best record after beating Miami 31-17 on Sunday night. The Eagles limited Miami’s offense to season lows in points scored, total yards (244), passing yards (199), rushing yards (45) and time of possession (23:17).

Reports of the trade emerged Monday while Eagles coach Nick Sirianni talked to reporters and he said he couldn’t talk about those.

“I obviously want to get with everybody and talk before I say anything here,” Sirianni said.

Byard posted his heartfelt thanks on social media to everyone in the Titans organization, both head coaches during his tenure, his teammates and especially the Tennessee fans. He concluded that it was a “dream come true” to be a Titan.

“With that being said… (at)Eagles it’s up!!,” Byard wrote. He also added a couple of eagle emojis and the hashtag “FlyEaglesFly.”

Byard has 27 interceptions since becoming a starter in 2017, the most among all NFL safeties through 2022.

Edmunds, a first-round pick in 2018, has five interceptions. Edmunds has started two of seven games for Philadelphia after spending his first five seasons with Pittsburgh.

This deal fills a big need for the Eagles, who lost safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson to Detroit in free agency and are dealing with injuries in their secondary.

BRONCOS: Denver veteran safety Kareem Jackson was suspended for four games without pay over his latest violation of the league’s unnecessary roughness rules. Jackson was ejected for the second time this season when he hit Green Bay tight end Luke Musgrave in the head during Denver’s 19-17 win Sunday. That ejection came about 24 hours after the NFL announced Jackson had been fined $43,000 for an illegal hit against Kansas City a week earlier. That brought Jackson’s season total to four fines and nearly $90,000. He’s facing another hefty fine and will lose about $589,000 in pay during his suspension.

JETS: The switch seemed to flip for Zach Wilson against an unlikely opponent. With New York considered heavy underdogs against the Kansas City Chiefs three weeks ago, Wilson had arguably the best performance of his career. Confidence and clutch playmaking were on display in what would end up as a loss on the field but a victory for the young quarterback. Wilson has since continued to be mostly solid for the Jets, who are opening the playbook and showing increased belief in him. Coach Robert Saleh said the Jets aren’t hiding Wilson at all in their game plans.

BROWNS: Cleveland quarterback Deshaun Watson’s playing status remains unclear after he left Sunday’s game at Indianapolis in the first quarter in his return from a two-game absence with a right shoulder injury. Coach Kevin Stefanski offered few details Monday on Watson, who strained the rotator cuff in his throwing shoulder on Sept. 24 against Tennessee. Stefanski did not address a specific question about whether Watson underwent more medical tests, saying the team was awaiting results “on a bunch of guys.” Stefanski was also vague on whether the team would consider putting Watson on injured reserve, giving him four weeks to heal. The Browns are at Seattle this week.

BEARS: Quarterback Justin Fields likely will miss his second consecutive game because of a dislocated right thumb when Chicago visits the Los Angeles Chargers this week. Coach Matt Eberflus said Fields is doubtful and rookie Tyson Bagent will start again in his place. Eberflus added that Fields “continues to progress” and is on a path to avoid surgery and injured reserve. But he would not say if the swelling has gone down or if Fields has tried to throw. Fields was hurt in a Week 6 loss to Minnesota. Bagent finished that game and made his first start in a 30-12 win over Las Vegas on Sunday.

BILLS: Buffalo starting tight end Dawson Knox requires surgery for a wrist injury. Coach Sean McDermott did not reveal the nature of the injury, and said it was too early to determine how long Knox would be sidelined. Knox first appeared on the Bills’ injury report following a 25-20 loss to Jacksonville on Oct. 8, and played the following two games. It’s unclear whether Knox aggravated the injury in a 29-25 loss to New England on Sunday in an outing where he had one catch for 10 yards on three targets. The Bills have a short week in preparing to host Tampa Bay on Thursday night.

DOLPHINS: The NFL world will get a behind-the-scenes look at Tua Tagovailoa and Miami later this season: The Dolphins will be the featured in-season team on “Hard Knocks” this fall. The team announced its featured role on the long-running HBO and NFL Films show on Monday. The Dolphins are one of the NFL’s more interesting teams with the league’s top-ranked offense led by Tagovailoa, All-Pro receiver Tyreek Hill and creative play-caller Mike McDaniel. They are atop the AFC East with a 5-2 record as they seek their second straight playoff berth.