In a major trade as far as NFL deals go, the Philadelphia Eagles and Tennessee Titans are shaking things up on Monday. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Eagles are trading former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Terrell Edmunds to the Tennessee Titans. In return, the Eagles are getting star safety Kevin Byard.
The Eagles are also sending late round draft picks to the Titans.
Edmunds, selected by the Steelers in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, spent five years in Pittsburgh. He never lived up to his first-round billing but turned into a serviceable and highly available safety for the team. A free agent this offseason, he turned down an offer to stay in Pittsburgh and signed a one-year deal with the Eagles. So far this year, Edmunds had only started two games though he was playing nearly 70 percent of the defense’s snaps, recording 28 tackles and one forced fumble.
Now, he’ll see the Steelers when they play the Titans in Week Nine.
Byard has been a star and ballhawking safety throughout his career and one of the most underrated names in football. A two-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro, he has 27 career interceptions, including four last year. Back in 2017, his second year in the league, he led the NFL with eight picks. This year, he’s started six games with 47 tackles though has yet to record an interception.
The relationship between Byard and the Titans seemed to sour this offseason after the team asked him to take a pay cut. Byard initially refused though ultimately restructured his deal to replace his base salary with incentives. Trade talks about him heated up in recent days and he’s now headed to Philadelphia to help its secondary. The Eagles have been dealing with injuries to their defensive backfield, including a recent rib injury suffered by Reed Blankenship, forcing rookie Sydney Brown to make his first start Sunday night in a win over the Miami Dolphins.
In addition to not having Byard, Titans QB Ryan Tannehill’s status is in question for this game after suffering a high ankle sprain in a Week Six loss to the Baltimore Ravens. The Titans had a bye this past week so we’ll know more about his status later in the week.
Pittsburgh and Tennessee open up Week Nine, playing on Thursday Nov. 2. The Titans are 2-4 on the season and sit in last place in the AFC South.
