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Damiere Byrd

Panthers Bring Back WR Damiere Byrd

April 14th, 2023 at 1:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

After bouncing around the league over the past four years, Damiere Byrd will head back to where his NFL career began. The Panthers signed the veteran wide receiver Friday.

Byrd, 30, has been with five different teams over the past five years. But his most extended stretch with one NFL franchise came from 2015-18, when the former UDFA played for Carolina. While the Panthers have new decision-makers in place now, the Ron Rivera-era addition will return to compete for a spot on Frank Reich‘s team.

Byrd spent last season with the Falcons, with whom he averaged a career-high 20.6 yards per reception (13 catches, 268 yards). Prior to that, the 5-foot-9 pass catcher suited up for the Bears (2021), Patriots (2020) and Cardinals (2019). Byrd will follow Adam Thielen and DJ Chark as Panthers receiver additions this offseason.

Carolina moved on from Byrd by non-tendering him as a restricted free agent back in 2019. Byrd had not made much of an impact to that point in his career, catching just 12 passes over his first four years in the league. Byrd’s time away from the Panthers improved his receiving chops. He contributed as a tertiary target for each of his past four teams, with the most notable work coming in New England. Working with Cam Newton again, Byrd amassed a career-high 604 receiving yards for the 2020 Patriots. That production — and the 4.28-second 40-yard dash time Byrd clocked as a prospect — has undoubtedly contributed to other teams taking fliers on the South Carolina alum.

Although Byrd has undoubtedly picked up some contacts around the league during his journeyman phase, he has not worked with Reich, GM Scott Fitterer or any of Reich’s top offensive staffers. Byrd also has not played much special teams since leaving Carolina; the 175-pound pass catcher has not topped 10 ST snaps in any of the past four seasons. He did make cameos in kick- and punt-return roles in Carolina but not much in the years since.

The Panthers still figure to be on the radar for receiving help in the draft, but Byrd stands to compete for a roster spot over the next several months. Terrace Marshall, Laviska Shenault and Shi Smith also stand to factor into competition for supporting-cast gigs behind the two free agent acquisitions.

Falcons To Sign WR Damiere Byrd

April 1st, 2022 at 2:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Falcons hosted Damiere Byrd on a visit earlier this week, becoming the second team to do so since free agency started. Byrd agreed to a deal to join them Friday.

Byrd will head to his fourth team in four years, committing to the Falcons on a one-year deal, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The former UDFA visited both the Falcons and Raiders recently but will partner with a team in transition at wide receiver.

After trading Julio Jones last summer, the Falcons saw Calvin Ridley step away from football near the midseason point. Ridley has since been handed a one-year gambling suspension, and the Buccaneers signed Russell Gage earlier this month. This all left Atlanta extremely shorthanded at wide receiver. While the team figures to target wideouts early in the draft, Byrd will be a candidate to contribute for the franchise’s first post-Matt Ryan squad.

Byrd, 29, played with the Bears last season, the Patriots in 2020 and the Cardinals in 2019. Prior to that, he spent three seasons with the Panthers. While Byrd played an auxiliary role with the Bears, catching 26 passes for 329 yards and a touchdown, the speedster factored in more prominently with the Cam Newton-quarterbacked Patriots team two years ago. The 5-foot-9 target posted career-high marks in receptions (47) and yards (604) for that Pats edition. Byrd broke out post-Carolina, having combined for barely 100 yards in three Panthers seasons.

This marks the Falcons’ third notable receiver deal this offseason. They have added ex-Bengal Auden Tate and former Browns backup KhaDarel Hodge to a receiver group that still features ex-UDFA Olamide Zaccheaus.

WR Damiere Byrd Visited Falcons, Raiders

March 29th, 2022 at 6:15pm CST by Ben Levine

Damiere Byrd is starting to generate some interest around the NFL. Per ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter), the Falcons hosted the free agent wideout on a visit. Yates notes that Byrd previously met with the Raiders.

The former undrafted free agent spent the first four seasons of his career with the Panthers, where he mostly played a special teams role. He saw a larger offensive role during his lone season with the Patriots in 2020, finishing with 619 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown on 49 touches.

Byrd joined the Bears last offseason, and he proceeded to collect 329 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown on 26 touches. He saw time in all 17 games with four starts.

The Falcons offense will look a whole lot different in 2022, with Matt Ryan gone and Calvin Ridley suspended. While the team can still hang their hat on Kyle Pitts, their receiving corps is questionable at best, so Byrd would provide some experience to the unit. The wideout is also familiar with Falcons exec (and former Bears GM) Ryan Pace. Similarly, Byrd is familiar with Josh McDaniels, who he played under in New England. However, Byrd wouldn’t have as clear of a path to playing time in Las Vegas. At best, Byrd would be fourth in line for targets behind Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow, and tight end Darren Waller.

Bears, WR Damiere Byrd Agree To Deal

May 4th, 2021 at 5:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the deadline for signings affecting the 2022 compensatory formula having passed, the post-draft free agency wave is forming. The Bears are taking part, agreeing to terms with wide receiver Damiere Byrd, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. It’s a one-year deal.

A role player in Carolina and Arizona, Byrd saw his responsibilities increase in New England. Byrd signed with the Patriots last year, and although the Pats’ passing production plummeted following Tom Brady‘s departure, Cam Newton frequently looked Byrd’s way. The former UDFA broke through with career-high marks — 47 catches, 604 receiving yards — last year.

Byrd, who never topped 150 yards in a season prior to his Cardinals stay in 2019, joins Marquise Goodwin as Bears free agency additions at the receiver position. Chicago added Goodwin just before the draft and selected North Carolina’s Dazz Newsome in Round 6 on Saturday.

The Bears franchise-tagged Allen Robinson and have Darnell Mooney in place going into his second season. Anthony Miller‘s status is murkier, with the fourth-year slot receiver coming up in trades at multiple junctures this offseason. The Byrd addition may provide more smoke for a potential Miller trade, but the 28-year-old target also stands to provide the Bears special teams help and give Andy Dalton and Justin Fields an auxiliary weapon.

Contract Details: Mayo, Patriots, Bailey

March 21st, 2020 at 9:21am CST by Ben Levine

A handful of contract details to pass along:

  • LB David Mayo, Giants: three-year extension. $8.4MM deal, including $3.5MM guaranteed. Salaries: $1.5MM guaranteed (2020), $2.25MM (2021), $2.5MM (2022). Via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle on Twitter.
  • WR Damiere Byrd, Patriots: one year, $2.5MM. $1MM base salary, $350K signing bonus, $900K in receptions incentives. Via ESPN’s Field Yates on Twitter.
  • S Adrian Phillips, Patriots: two years. Deal worth up to $7.5MM, $3MM guaranteed, $1.5MM signing bonus. Can earn up to $4MM in 2020. Via Yates on Twitter.
  • K Dan Bailey, Vikings: re-signed. Three-year deal worth up to $12MM. $5MM guaranteed, $3.15MM signing bonus. Via Yates on Twitter.
  • OL Joe Looney, Cowboys: signed. One-year, $2.4375MM deal. As Mike Garafolo of NFL Network tweets, one of the new CBA’s veteran benefits is that the deal will count $1.25MM less on the cap than it would have last season.
  • OT Shon Coleman, 49ers: one-year extension. Worth $962.5K, including $825K base salary and $137.5K signing bonus. Via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner on Twitter.
  • DB Jaylen Watkins, Texans: signed. Two-year deal worth $3MM, per Wilson.
  • OT Roderick Johnson, Texans: re-signed. One-year deal worth $1.75MM, per Wilson.

Contract Details: Bridgewater, Panthers, Vaitai, Lions, Byrd, Patriots, Brees, Saints

March 18th, 2020 at 1:31pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest notes on all of the contracts being handed out around the league:

  • QB Teddy Bridgewater, Panthers: signed. Bridgewater got a three-year deal worth $63MM and a whopping $40MM of that is guaranteed in the first two years, according to David Newton of ESPN.com. He got a $15MM signing bonus to take over for the start of the Matt Rhule era. Newton’s post has the full breakdown on how it’ll be paid out with various workout and roster bonuses.
  • OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai, Lions: signed. Vaitai’s five-year, $50MM contract includes $20MM guaranteed which will come in the first two years of the deal, Adam Caplan of Sirius XM NFL Radio tweets. Detroit can get out of the pact after that.
  • WR Damiere Byrd, Patriots: signed. Byrd’s one-year deal can be worth up to $2.5MM, Mike Garafolo of NFL Network notes in a tweet.
  • QB Drew Brees, Saints: re-signed. Brees’ two-year, $50MM new deal with New Orleans includes a signing bonus of $23MM and a small base salary of only $2MM in year one, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. That structure as well as two voidable years added on for 2022-2023 help keep his 2020 cap hit very low so the Saints can spend more as they gear up for one more Super Bowl with Brees under center.
  • LB Sean Lee, Cowboys: re-signed. Lee is back for one more ride on a one-year, $4.5MM deal with $2MM guaranteed. He actually could earn up to $6.5MM if he hits some playing time incentives, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com, although he writes they’re “not-likely-to-be-earned.”
  • S Darian Thompson, Cowboys: re-signed. Thompson is getting a two-year deal worth $2.5MM, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. He’s getting a $200K signing bonus and can earn an extra $250K with playing time escalators.
  • WR Cody Core, Giants: re-signed. New York locked up the special teams ace who barely plays on offense, and he got paid handsomely. Core will be getting $4MM over a two-year deal, Wilson tweets. Only $1MM of it is guaranteed however.
  • S Jordan Poyer, Bills: extension. The full details are in on Poyer’s new pact. Poyer had two new years added on and will now make $22.7MM over the next three years with $13MM of that being guaranteed, Wilson tweets. He also got a $3MM signing bonus. In a separate tweet, Wilson notes that Poyer has an annual $500K interception incentive he can earn.

Patriots Sign WR Damiere Byrd

March 17th, 2020 at 7:42pm CST by Ben Levine

There’s a whole lot of uncertainty surrounding the Patriots offense, but the team has still added a wideout. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (via Twitter) that New England has signed receiver Damiere Byrd to a one-year deal.

The former undrafted free agent out of South Carolina spent the first four seasons of his career with the Panthers. He signed with the Cardinals for the 2019 season and had a breakout campaign, hauling in 32 receptions for 359 yards and one touchdown.

Byrd also has some experience on special teams throughout his career. He’s returned 14 kicks and 12 returns through his first five years in the league.

With Tom Brady out of the picture, it’s uncertain who will be throwing to Byrd next season. The only (somewhat) certainty is that the 27-year-old wideout will be joining fellow receivers Julian Edelman, N’Keal Harry, and Mohamed Sanu atop the New England depth chart.

RFA/ERFA Tender Decisions: 3/13/19

March 13th, 2019 at 4:05pm CST by Zachary Links

Here is the latest news involving restricted free agents and exclusive-rights free agents, with updates coming throughout the day:

ERFA

Tendered:

Non-tendered:

RFA

Tendered at second-round level: 

Tendered at original-round level:

Non-tendered: 

Panthers To Place Damiere Byrd On IR

November 27th, 2018 at 9:28am CST by Zachary Links

Panthers wide receiver/punt returner Damiere Byrd suffered a broken arm in Sunday’s loss to the Seahawks, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). With only five weeks to go in the regular season, the Panthers will place Byrd on injured reserve. 

Byrd, 25, has just one catch to date, but he been a special teams contributor with eleven punt returns for 104 yards on the year. Without him, the Panthers may look to sign another wide receiver, though they have five others already on the roster. Rookie D.J. Moore can also step in to handle punts, so they don’t necessarily have to add a returner.

Byrd isn’t a superstar in Carolina, but the Panthers can ill afford any setbacks as they make their playoff push. The NFC South title is pretty much out of the question and they’ll have to fight their way through a crowded Wild Card picture to make the postseason. Thanks to a three-game losing streak, the 8-4 squad has just a 31% chance of making the postseason, according to FiveThirtyEight.

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