On the third day of NFL Free Agency, veteran safety Kevin Byard agreed to a one-year contract with the Patriots.
Byard joins a talented secondary that features established cornerbacks such as Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis and Marcus Jones, but also an emerging safety in Craig Woodson.
“I think he’s a very talented player, just watching the film, seeing some things that he did last year. Trying to build upon that,” Byard said Tuesday. “A very smart — he’s a mature guy too as well. I know he’s only
in his second year. He seems very mature how he goes about his business, so I’m excited to be able to play with him for sure.”
Selected in the fourth-round of last year’s draft, Woodson went on to lead New England’s defense in snaps as a rookie. He played his best football down the stretch, capped off by a strong effort in Super Bowl LX, where he led the team with 10 tackles, including three for a loss.
However, Byard has one specific area he’d like to see the 25-year old improve.
“Hopefully we can get some turnovers this year,” the veteran said.
Woodson recorded just one interception as a rookie, which came in the Patriots’ Divisional Round win over the Houston Texans.
There may be no better player to learn from in Year 2 than Byard, who has been one of the league’s top ballhawks since entering the NFL in 2016. He leads the league with 36 interceptions over that span and continued his production last season by tying for the league lead with seven.
For the 32-year-old, creating those turnovers comes down to two key elements.
“Anticipation,” Byard said. “I think in this league, especially being at safety, the quarterbacks aren’t throwing the ball to us, you know what I mean? Like, you may get one or two a year where the balls just thrown right to you, you just gotta catch it. You have to be able to — from film study to anticipating route concepts and seeing stuff over and over again and understanding what the offense is trying to do. You have to put yourself in position to make plays and then the second part is just really just catching the ball.
“If you want to be able to get to the higher numbers, you have to be able to anticipate route concepts based upon practice, film study, the coverage we’re running, understanding where your plays are to be made. Then after that it’s just trusting your God-given abilities to go make those plays.”
