Eagles release recently acquired All-Pro safety

The Eagles made a bit of a surprising move on Friday, parting ways with a player they just acquired at the trade deadline in 2023.

According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, Philadelphia is releasing former All-Pro safety Kevin Byard, who the team traded the Titans for last October.

The Eagles didn't give up a ton of resources, exchanging a fifth and sixth-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft along with safety Terrell Edmunds for the two-time Pro Bowler.

However, it is surprising nonetheless since Byard didn't have a bad season by any means, posting 122 tackles, one fumble recovery, one interception and three passes defensed.

The move does save Philadelphia $14.4 million in cap space while taking a dead cap hit of just $711K, per Spotrac, but the team wasn't struggling for cap space with $29.37M in funds.

It could mean that the Eagles want to be more active in free agency, which begins on March 13 at 4 p.m. ET, than previously thought or they're just looking to get younger after a disappointing ending to their 2023 season.

A player to watch who could take over Byard's role is Sydney Brown, a third-round pick by Philadelphia in 2023.

Brown established his role on defense throughout the season, finishing the year with 45 tackles, one forced fumble, one interception, three passes defensed and one touchdown.

However, if the Eagles want to add a little more experience to the room, they could do so with a couple of high-caliber safeties who could hit the open market, including Buccaneers' Antoine Winfield Jr., Patriots' Kyle Dugger and Commanders' Kamren Curl.

As for Byard, he should still have several suitors with a few years of good football likely still left in him at 30.