Falcons to Sign Ex-Bears WR: Report

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Damiere Byrd #10 of the Chicago Bears.

The Atlanta Falcons have signed veteran wide receiver Damiere Byrd to a one-year deal, a source has said. Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.

It was as reported by ESPN on March 29 that the Falcons hosted Byrd, which eventually led to a formal agreement.

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Byrd also visited the Las Vegas Raiders

Byrd, a product of the University of South Carolina, was initially incomplete in 2015.

However, a neighboring NFL team, the Carolina Panthers, signed him to their practice team, which is where he spent his entire rookie season. It was a good year for Carolina overall as they made it to the Super Bowl, but Byrd didn’t get a chance to play a part in the team’s success, which ultimately ended in a 24-10 loss to the Denver Broncos.

The following season, Byrd made the 53-man shortlist, although he still didn’t have much time left until 2017. Despite being on the bench and benching through injury that year, he broke the record. continental franchise by beating the Bucs at 103 yards. in Week 16, also the result of Carolina’s first TD game since 2011. His impressive touch earned him the title of NFC Special Teams Player of the Year.

The 29-year-old entered 2018 as the team’s top return player but his season was, once again, cut short after breaking his arm for the second time. The Cardinals picked him up as a free agent in 2019 and he spent a single season where he scored a career-record 32 watched for 359 yards and a touchdown.

The following year, Byrd found himself on a one-year deal with New England, where he recorded an even better season with 47 catches from 609 yards and one touchdown.

He had another one-season deal with Chicago in 2021 as a substitute, catching 26 catches from 329 yards and one touchdown.

In addition to visiting Atlanta, Byrd also got the chance to visit the Las Vegas Raiders, but it’s likely the Falcons have the upper hand in signing him since former Bears general manager Ryan Pace is now in the main office. of the Falcons.

Byrd is the third FA Wideout Atlanta has signed

Byrd marks the third free agent wide-area receiver the Falcons have written to date.

Atlanta also signed KhaDarel Hodge last week for a year.

Hodge, 27, originally signed with the Los Angeles Rams as an untrained free agent in 2018. Since then, he’s crisscrossed the league with stops at the Cleveland Browns and Detroit Lions. In four seasons so far, he has 30 tackles for 430 yards. He’s about to have a 2021 season with a career high of 13 catching 27 goals at 157 yards in Detroit.

In addition to Hodge and Byrd, the Falcons have signed former Cincinnati Bengals Auden Tate to a one-year contract.

Tate, 25 years old, was the Bengals’ seventh-round pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. His NFL career got off to a slow start as he totaled just four 35-yard visits as a rookie.

During AJ Green’s absence in 2019, his production increased and remained his best season yet, where he ended the year as Cincy’s second top collector with 40. catches for 575 yards and a point. Unfortunately for Tate, he didn’t feature much in the Bengals’ Super Bowl last year as he was sidelined with a calf injury for most of the year. In fact, he’s spent consecutive seasons on the injury reserve list since 2019. Over four NFL seasons so far, Tate has received a total of 799 yards in 61 receptions, averaging 13.1 yards one catch and two touchdowns.

The Falcons’ wide receiver depth chart now includes Auden Tate, Olamide Zaccheaus, Damiere Byrd, KhaDarel Hodge, Frank Darby, and Austin Trammell.

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