Patriots Should Already Be Overjoyed With Kevin Byard Signing, And Here's Why
Craig Woodson shined for the New England Patriots last season. The rookie safety from Cal was an instant starter in the secondary, grabbed his first career interception in the team's AFC Divisional win over the Houston Texans and then played unbelievable in the Super Bowl a few weeks later.
It's hard to imagine that the Patriots' abilities at the position are going to get even better from 2025, but it's looking like they will.
They went out and signed veteran Kevin Byard to a one-year deal in free agency, replacing Jaylinn Hawkins who left to sign with the Baltimore Ravens. Byard, who led the NFL in interceptions a year ago with the Chicago Bears, has had loads of experience with Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel.
Byard has plenty of experience with a lot of coaches on New England's staff, and he told reporters at mandatory minicamp that it's helped him adjust to his new location. One of those assistant coaches, safety coach Scott Booker, was with the Tennessee Titans when Byard was beginning his career in the NFL.
Now Booker, who was one of the position coaches hired to Vrabel's staff at the beginning of last season, has high hopes for his new safety in 2026.
"Moving forward with KB, bringing 11 years of experience, he's seen it all," Booker said at minicamp. "He's faced all the quarterbacks we've faced this year. He's faced a majority of the (offensive) coordinators."
Byard's wealth of knowledge is a main reason why the Patriots went out and signed the veteran. Since being drafted in the third round back in 2016 out of Middle Tennessee State, Byard has become one of the most durable and dependable safeties in the league.
He's had stops with the Titans, Philadelphia Eagles and Bears before inking his deal with the defending Super Bowl champions. Because of all of those stops and the 164 career regular season games he's played in, Byard's ability to help the Patriots' secondary is priceless.
Byard + Woodson = Ultimate Safety Duo
"He understands the different offensive systems whether it's west coast, whether it's (Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator Brian) Daboll, whatever these systems are, (Buffalo Bills head coach Joe) Brady, he's faced all of them and understands all the nuances," Booker continued.
Now coming to the Patriots, Byard has taken the young Woodson under his wing. It didn't come without a price, as the veteran got Woodson's No. 31 uniform. The second-year star switched to No. 4, last worn by Antonio Gibson.
Woodson says that his new teammate will be a big help in learning the nuances of the game.
"I know he's going to help me out there when it comes to seeing things, allowing the game to slow down even more than it's starting to already," he saidearlier this offseason. "So, I mean, once we get to the practice and on the field, I'm sure he's going to give me some keys and some tools that are going to help me."
Booker agrees wholeheartedly.
Why The Byard Signing Has Worked So Far:
"I think (Byard's experience) is going to help Craig's anticipation, and will help Craig with the overall big picture," Booker said. "As a rookie sometimes you just focus on your position ... as the year went on, you could see his lens opening. Now it's not just what my role is, but it's also what the other guys around me are doing."
So by all accounts, the Byard signing has been a smashing hit. He's not taking up too much cap space (his contract was worth just $10 million), his play hasn't seemed to dip in recent seasons and he's already working into the starting defense in spring practices.
Signing the 32-year-old could end up being the Patriots' best move this offseason. Sure, you could look at some of the additions on the offensive side of the ball (A.J. Brown, Romeo Doubs and Alijah Vera-Tucker to name a few), but for what Byard could provide to one of the youngest defensive stars could pay off in the long run.
Ultimately, it will need to be determined how successful this signing is. So far, bringing in Byard has been a home run -- not just for the Patriots now, but for Woodson in the future.
"Bringing in a guy like Kevin, (Woodson) will definitely see the big picture and understand some of the things that a guy with that veteran time on task has been able to do," Booker said.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/patriots/onsi as Patriots Should Already Be Overjoyed With Kevin Byard Signing, And Here's Why.
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This story was originally published July 2, 2026 at 5:00 AM.