In what has been a wild offseason, the New England Patriots made a move Tuesday that didn’t involve Tom Brady.
The Patriots signed wide receiver Damiere Byrd, according to reports. Most recently with Arizona, Byrd began his career with the Carolina Panthers. The speedster now looks to find a home in New England. Signed to a one-year deal, Byrd has an opportunity to prove himself in Foxboro
He may end up playing a big role within the New England Patriots offense. And he may not. As New England appears to be retooling their roster, he at least adds a veteran presence to the wide receiver group. That may be important this year as the team looks to reshape their roster.
We take a look at four things to know about Byrd.
Byrd excels as a kick returner
Byrd is a solid kick returner. While with the Carolina Panthers, he really solidified that role. Special teams was a big part of his game, and he often put the Panthers in good field position.
2017 was an example of that. He had a great year, returning seven kicks for 229 yards. Perhaps the highlight of his season was a kick return that went for 103 yards. The 103-yard return is a Carolina Panthers franchise record.
Although he didn’t really leave a huge mark in the passing game for Carolina while he was there, he did manage to carve a niche on special teams. At the bare minimum, he could be used by New England as a kickoff returner. He has 353 yards on 14 returns for his career. At the very least, he can help the Patriots gain solid starting field position.
Byrd is coming off a career year
He is coming off a career year with the Arizona Cardinals. After playing a small role with the Carolina Panthers, he really blossomed in his first season with Arizona.
He played in 11 games, starting three of them. He recorded 32 catches for 359 yards and a touchdown. He was targeted 46 times.
His 11.2 yards per reception were the most he had in a season since his rookie year of 2016. The 46 passes thrown his way were the most he has ever been targeted to this point in his career. He may not necessarily be a flashy name, but he is coming off a season where his production is at an all-time high.
It will be interesting to see how he fits into the New England offense. In a season that is going to feature a new-look offense, Byrd could be a solid veteran presence.
Byrd can spread the field
Byrd can spread the field. Take last year for example. He averaged 11.2 yards per reception on the year.
The 11.2 yards per reception tallied higher than the likes of Julian Edelman and T.Y. Hilton. Although he may not have the same playmaking ability as those two, it is certainly worth noting. Again, it all comes back to his speed.
He is a capable receiver who makes the most of his catches. Byrd is not a player that relies solely on the deep ball. He is a player that is able to make things happen after the catch. That might come in handy, especially if New England wants to focus on an offense centered around moving the chains and not necessarily big plays.
Byrd can play multiple positions
He is a Swiss Army knife of sorts. As highlighted throughout this piece, he can be both a kick returner and wide receiver. He can be effective in both roles.
He made a name for himself as a kick returner in the NFL. While at South Carolina, he hardly returned kicks. For his career with the Gamecocks, he recorded three kick returns for 45 yards, averaging 15.33 yards per return.
While with the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals, he put kick returning and receiving together. For his career, Byrd has recorded 488 receiving yards and 113 kick return yards. Those are not Hall of Fame numbers, but they do illustrate that he has the ability to play in multiple areas of the field.
