Worry Factor: Kevin Byard's Absence

How worried should fans be about one of their most tenured players not being at camp amid negotiations about his contract?

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Around this time of year, the NFL rumor mill seemingly starts to churn a bit more, as OTA’s begin and certain players decide to ignore them in favor of doing…..other things.

Some would prefer to stick with their current off-season regimen before these on field activities become mandatory, like the Titans’ upcoming minicamp from June 6th-8th. Others stay away as a sign of resistance, likely due to contractual snags or a lack of activity on the front of a potential new shiny deal.

OTA’s aren’t mandatory and players have taken advantage of that fact for a good long while now. But it’s a bit of an unspoken cause of frustration for coaches when their guys aren’t there when OTA’s come around each and every May. Coaches have begun to be a bit more understanding with absences, but if you strap a wire on your chest and ask a head coach in private if they want all their guys at the facility for OTA’s, they’d instantly say yes without an ounce of hesitation.

That’s why when head coach Mike Vrabel didn’t seem annoyed after being asked about Kevin Byard’s absence at OTA’s — all while in the midst of rumors surrounding his future – I sort of smirked and shook my head a little bit. 

We know Vrabel wants Byard to be there — hell, he even said he’d want all of his players here — especially with new faces on defense and in the secondary particularly. Having his face and presence there to help the on field acclimation seem easier for the newcomers — even on the offensive side of the ball — is certainly something Vrabel and his staff values. And is something they know they’ll need to depend on once the season begins, as it’s the grind from September to January for when the results of hard work will begin to show.

But one single question hands over the head of that entire scenario, the entire idea of it fulfilling its prophecy.

Will Byard even be here to help guide this defense through some expected aches and pains?

Byard’s future has long been in question, especially after reports rang out over the off-season, that the Titans have been trying to convince Byard to take a bit of a pay cut. As the team wants to settle their cap situation for this upcoming season and especially next season, when the team is projected to have well over $75M in cap space during the 2024 off-season.

The catch here is that Byard has been unwilling to take a pay cut, as he believes his play doesn’t warrant one whatsoever.

I discussed the idea of cutting Byard, using this back and forth as a conductor of sorts, which you can read below if you want to take a break from this, jump over to my previous work, and hop right back over here for the grand finale.

Risk vs. Reward: Kevin Byard

Either way, this ongoing battle between player and team doesn’t help either side at the moment. More so the team and in a big time way.

Because as we know, the Titans will be relying on their defense to give them any resemblance of a competitive team in 2023. Of course, we know this team isn’t some juggernaut that’s prepared to win the Super Bowl and start some 12 year old’s fantasy of a dynasty.

We’ve known that for quite a while now.

But remaining competitive, giving yourself a chance to win every week, while somehow grabbing a playoff spot remains in the cards for this team. And for Mike Vrabel, simply a chance in the NFL’s big dance is something he wants to grab a hold of at worst.

However, you need Byard here to do that. No, you actually need him here to even get within a sniff of that. Everyone knows of his impact, his statistical dominance over the last half decade and some change, the heart, and the reliability he brings to the table. Simply losing that is devastating and it’s why this ongoing situation needs to be monitored over the course of the next few weeks.

Because if Byard doesn’t show up for minicamp, then things will start rolling in terms of chatter. Assumptions will be made, conclusions will be drawn, and an annoyed Vrabel will surely have to step to the podium and answer the multitude of questions about Byard’s future in Tennessee.

Vrabel went through the same ordeal during the A.J. Brown saga, you know, before he was abruptly traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a first round pick and some belly button lint? I’m sure everyone tied to this team wants to avoid the same nightmarish scenario, so it’s in the Titans’ best interests to find a solution quickly, whether it’s in a positive light or a negative one.

Because the longer this goes on, the higher the chances become of you doing a couple of negative things: 

1. Painting one of your franchise icons in a bad light.

2. Personally alienating one of your best players defensively over future cap space.

3. Sending a negative message to other players that might run into the same scenario (well paid, playing well, but on the wrong side of 30).

Going down the route of the first two negative possibilities is one thing, but sabotaging your future by fully diving into negative point number 3, is something the Titans can’t afford to do at this stage of their retool/rebuild.

Not with the opportunities they could have and not with the stakes that are present.

Honestly, we don’t know how this situation will end up for the Titans.

Minicamp doesn’t begin until early June, which sounds a short time away, but that’s still enough time for chaos to ensue, heads to roll, and anxiety to well up until it boils over and creates one big giant mess.

Like I mentioned earlier, this situation needs to find a conclusion quickly, rather than letting it simmer like a good tasting pasta sauce on the stove. If you let it simmer, you’ll run the risk of running into a wall and the damage you’ll receive will potentially be gone from your grasp.

I’m sure the Titans don’t want to end up in that sticky situation, right?

My stance has been to cut Byard, since I don’t see the idea of holding on to a 30 year old safety that’s being paid a lot of money, while playing at a position that’s one of the more replaceable ones in all of football.

But I have to put myself in the team’s shoes here. And when I do, my stance remains the same, but my thinking gets a little more neutral at the same time (at least for the on field portion of things).

You can’t let this boil over. Do it and you’ll get burned…badly.

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