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Going Byard: Eagles hit it out of the park with addition of safety
Kevin Byard. Andrew Nelles / The Tennessean / USA TODAY NETWORK

Going Byard: Eagles hit it out of the park with addition of two-time All-Pro safety

Stop us if you've heard this one before: the Eagles won a trade.

Philadelphia (6-1) acquired two-time All-Pro safety Kevin Byard on Monday, adding a talented player to its suddenly depleted and questionable secondary. 

Entering Monday night, Philadelphia has allowed the fourth-most yards to wide receivers this season (1,240 yards) and is tied for the most receiving touchdowns allowed (nine) to wideouts. (h/t RotoWire)

The defense also has only three interceptions, ranking 28th in the league. Byard doesn't have an interception this season but has at least one in each season except for his rookie year, including a league-leading eight interceptions in 2017.

He has nine interceptions in the past two seasons and 27 during his eight-year career. 

The Eagles were without starting free safety Reed Blankenship (ribs) in their Week 7 win against the Dolphins. Safety Terrell Edmunds started in Blankenship's place and gave up a couple of big passes, including a 12-yarder to Jaylen Waddle and a 19-yarder to Cedrick Wilson. 

The Eagles sent Edmunds and 2024 fifth- and sixth-round picks to the Titans in the deal for Byard, a clear upgrade to the team's depth.

The move continues the Eagles' all-in approach to a Super Bowl, and who could blame them? The NFC is wide open, and Philadelphia has as good a chance as any team of winning the conference. 

Per Oddschecker, the Eagles (+300) have the second-best odds of winning the NFC, trailing only the 49ers (+195). The trade for Byard is a sign the team realized it needed to improve its secondary to keep up not only with San Francisco but its Super Bowl LVII opponent, the Kansas City Chiefs.

Byard has the talent to be a major factor during Philly's stretch run and fits in perfectly with the team's veteran secondary that includes corners Darius Slay and James Bradberry.

Adding him doesn't guarantee the Eagles a spot in Super Bowl LVIII, but it arguably positions them best among the NFC field to make it to Las Vegas for the big game.

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