How critical is it that the Buffalo Bills sign Safety Jarius Byrd ? Byrd has 18 interceptions in his three seasons which ranks him third in that category among other defenders over that span. Turnovers are a key part of the game so from that aspect one would think Byrd is a key part of the Bills Defense, but is he?
The Bills Defense obviously has been bad the past three years, primarily against the run. The addition of Mario Williams did little to change that last year and it was one of the chief reasons why the Bills dumped Chan Gailey and Dave Wandstandt. But, now the Bills have a brand new coaching staff and defensive scheme and look to improve so not having one of that units best players on the field can’t possibly help.
The Bills have placed the franchise tag on Byrd which would pay him 6.9 million, but he wants more. Does his presence warrant a paycheck that puts him among the league’s elite defenders? Probably not.
The Bills have several young defenders who they could look to move to Safety like Aaron and Duke Williams, but neither have the ball-hawking skills of Byrd. They could however, fit into Defensive Coordinator Mike Pettine’s new scheme and both have the speed to do it.
If Jarius Byrd decides to pass on almost 7 million dollars then the Bills need to put team first and move on without him. The message should be winning comes first and reward for that winning comes afterwards.
Filed under: Koshinski's Korner
Tagged with: Buffalo Bills, Jarius Byrd, NFL
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