New England Patriots are adding former Arizona Cardinals receiver Damiere Byrd in free agency, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo. It’s the first acquisition of the team’s 2020 free agency. New England has already retained a handful of their own pending free agents, with Devin McCourty, Jason McCourty, Matthew Slater and Joe Thuney set to return to New England. And, of course, quarterback Tom Brady is not. Byrd is the first addition.
Byrd contributed as a special teams returner and a deep-threat receiver for the Cardinals in 2019. He had 32 receptions for 359 yards and a touchdown. He was an undrafted free agent in 2015 and spent four seasons on the Panthers, largely on the practice squad. When he was promoted to the active roster for an increased role in 2017 and 2018, he broke his arm in each of those season, leading to unimpressive stats in Carolina.
He will join a Patriots’ receiver group, which includes Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu, Jakobi Meyers and Gunner Olszewski. It’s likely Byrd will be in competition with Olszewski for the returning jobs.
