Pre-draft On November 22, 2015, Byard announced on
Twitter that he had accepted his invitation to play in the
2016 Senior Bowl. During the week leading up to the Senior Bowl, Byard was impressive during practices as he displayed his ball-hawking and athletic ability. Byard met with representatives from the
Atlanta Falcons during the week. He was not one of the 60 defensive backs invited to the
NFL Combine. On March 31, 2016, Byard participated at Middle Tennessee's
pro day, along with 18 other teammates, and was the top prospect participating with representatives and scouts from 24 NFL teams attending. He surprised many scouts and analysts with a 4.46 and 4.50 in the
40-yard dash as many scouting reports listed speed as one of his weaknesses. Byard met with representatives from the
Oakland Raiders,
Detroit Lions, and
Tennessee Titans during his pro day. He had official private visits or workouts with 12 NFL teams, including the
Miami Dolphins,
Green Bay Packers,
Cleveland Browns, Titans, and
Los Angeles Rams. At the conclusion of the pre-draft process, Byard received many mixed draft projections from draft experts and scouts, with some (DraftScout.com) projecting him to be a third or fourth-round pick to others (NFL.com) projecting him to be drafted in the sixth or seventh round. Byard was ranked the fifth best strong safety prospect in the draft by DraftScout.com.
Tennessee Titans The
Tennessee Titans selected Byard in the third round (64th overall) of the
2016 NFL draft. Byard entered
training camp as a candidate to earn a starting safety role following the departure of
Michael Griffin, but had to compete against veterans
Rashad Johnson and
Da'Norris Searcy under defensive coordinator
Dick LeBeau. During training camp,
Daimion Stafford began taking over first-team reps from Byard and Searcy.
2017 Byard entered training camp slated as the
de facto free safety after they opted not to re-sign Rashad Johnson. Head coach Mike Mularkey named Byard the starting free safety to begin the regular season. During the season-opening 26–16 loss to the
Oakland Raiders, Byard recorded a team-high eight combined tackles (tied with
Wesley Woodyard). In the next game against the
Jacksonville Jaguars, he had six tackles and a pass deflection during the 37–16 road victory. The following week against the
Seattle Seahawks, Byard once again recorded six tackles and a pass deflection in the 33–27 victory. During Week 4 against the
Houston Texans, Byard recorded a season-high nine combined tackles (four solo), two pass deflections, and made his first career interception from a pass thrown by
Deshaun Watson to wide receiver
DeAndre Hopkins in the 57–14 road loss. In the next game against the
Miami Dolphins, Byard had five tackles and a fumble recovery during the 16–10 road loss. Two weeks later against the
Cleveland Browns, he recorded four tackles, three pass deflections, and a career-high three interceptions off passes by
DeShone Kizer and
Cody Kessler in the 12–9 overtime road victory. Byard was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance. Following a Week 8 bye, the Titans returned home to face the
Baltimore Ravens. Byard finished the 23–20 victory with four solo tackles, three pass deflections, and two interceptions off passes by
Joe Flacco. Byard became the fifth player in NFL history to record five interceptions in a two-game span joining
DeAngelo Hall (2010),
Albert Lewis (
1985),
Willie Buchanon (
1978), and
Mike Haynes (
1976). In the next game against the
Cincinnati Bengals, he recorded six tackles and two pass deflections during the 24–20 victory. During a Week 12 20–16 road victory over the
Indianapolis Colts, Byard recorded five tackles and a fumble recovery. Byard received a grade of 89.9 from
Pro Football Focus which was the third highest grade among safeties through the first 12 games, only behind
Harrison Smith (94.2) and
Adrian Amos (92.3). In the next game against the Texans, he tied his season high of nine combined tackles and also deflected a pass during the 24–13 victory. During the regular season finale against the Jaguars, Byard recorded six combined tackles, two pass deflections, and had two interceptions on passes thrown by
Blake Bortles in the 15–10 victory. Byard earned his second AFC Defensive Player of the Week award of the season for his performance. Byard finished his second professional season with 87 combined tackles (62 solo), 16 pass deflections, two fumble recoveries, and led the league in interceptions with eight in 16 games and starts. Byard was named first-team
All-Pro. Pro Football Focus had him finish the season with an overall grade of 87.0 in 2017. During the
Wild Card Round against the
Kansas City Chiefs, Byard started in his first NFL playoff game and recorded five solo tackles in the 22–21 comeback road victory. In the
Divisional Round against
New England Patriots, Byard had 10 tackles during the 35–14 road loss. On January 21, 2018, Byard earned his first career
Pro Bowl selection to appear in the
2018 Pro Bowl as an injury replacement after Bills' safety
Micah Hyde bowed out due to a concussion. Byard was also ranked 80th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2018.
2018 On January 20, 2018, the Titans hired former
Houston Texans defensive coordinator
Mike Vrabel to be their new head coach following the departure of
Mike Mularkey. New defensive coordinator
Dean Pees opted to retain Byard as a starting safety, and Vrabel named Byard the starting strong safety to begin the season and paired him with free safety
Kenny Vaccaro. During the season-opening 27–20 road loss to the Dolphins, Byard had three solo tackles and a pass deflection. In the next game against the Texans, he recorded a team-high eight combined tackles (seven solo) and threw a 66-yard touchdown to rookie cornerback
Dane Cruikshank on a fake punt on the Titans' opening drive during the first quarter of the 20–17 victory. Two weeks later against the
Philadelphia Eagles, Byard had a season-high 11 combined tackles (nine solo) in the 26–20 overtime victory. During Week 6 against the Ravens, Byard recorded five tackles, a pass deflection, and his first interception of the season off of Joe Flacco in the 21–0 shutout loss. Three weeks later against the
Dallas Cowboys on
Monday Night Football, he had five tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass by
Dak Prescott to wide receiver
Amari Cooper in the endzone during the 28–14 road victory. After the pick, Byard celebrated on the Dallas Cowboys' star logo at midfield. The celebration was widely publicized as it resembled
Terrell Owens'
infamous celebration from the early 2000s. This caused Owens to tweet "I feel like I've seen this before" after the celebration occurred. In the next game against the Patriots, he recorded four tackles and a pass deflection during the 34–10 victory. During a Week 11 38–10 road loss to the Colts, Byard had a team-high nine combined tackles (tied with
Adoree' Jackson). Three weeks later against the Jaguars on
Thursday Night Football, he recorded three tackles and his first sack of the season on Cody Kessler in the 30–9 victory. In the next game against the
New York Giants, Byard had five tackles, two pass deflections, set a career-high with his second sack of the season, and intercepted a pass by
Eli Manning to wide receiver
Russell Shepard during the 17–0 shutout road victory. During Week 16 against the
Washington Redskins, Byard recorded nine tackles, tied his season-high of two pass deflections, and secured the 25–16 comeback victory by intercepting a pass attempt by
Josh Johnson to wide receiver
Josh Doctson near the end of the fourth quarter. In the regular-season finale against the Colts on
Sunday Night Football, Byard had 10 tackles during the 33–17 loss. Byard finished the 2018 season with 90 combined tackles (62 solo), a career-high two sacks, eight pass deflections, and four interceptions. His overall grade from Pro Football Focus was 88.4 in 2018. He entered training camp slated as the
de facto starting free safety. Head coach
Mike Vrabel named Byard the starting
free safety to start the season and paired him with Kenny Vaccaro. During the season-opening 43–13 road victory over the Browns, Byard had two solo tackles, a pass deflection, and his first interception of the season off of
Baker Mayfield. Three weeks later against the
Atlanta Falcons, Byard recorded seven tackles and a pass deflection in the 24–10 road victory. During Week 5 against the
Buffalo Bills, Byard recorded five tackles, a season-high two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by
Josh Allen to wide receiver
Cole Beasley in the 14–7 loss. In the next game against the
Denver Broncos, Byard had a season-high six solo tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception off a pass by Joe Flacco that had ricochet off tight end
Noah Fant's back during the 16–0 shutout road loss. The following week against the
Los Angeles Chargers, Byard recorded six tackles and a pass deflection in the 23–20 victory. During a Week 9 30–20 road loss to the
Carolina Panthers, Byard had four tackles and a pass deflection. Three weeks later against the Jaguars, he recorded a season-high nine combined tackles (four solo) in the 42–20 victory. In the next game against the Colts, Byard had two solo tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception off of
Jacoby Brissett during the 31–17 road victory. During the regular-season finale against the Texans, Byard tied his season-high of six solo tackles (seven combined), deflected a pass, and helped secure the 35–14 road victory with a late fourth quarter interception off a pass by
A. J. McCarron to tight end
Jordan Akins. in the AFC Divisional Round of the playoffsByard finished the 2019 season with 84 combined tackles (60 solo), five interceptions, and nine pass deflections in 16 games and starts. He finished with an overall grade of 79.4 from
Pro Football Focus in 2019. The Titans finished the season second in the AFC South with a 9–7 record and qualified for the playoffs as the #6-seed. During the
Wild Card Round against the Patriots, Byard recorded six tackles in the 20–13 road victory. In the
Divisional Round against the Ravens, he had 11 tackles, a pass deflection, and intercepted a pass on the Ravens' opening drive that was thrown by
Lamar Jackson to tight end
Mark Andrews during the 28–12 road victory. During the
AFC Championship Game against the Chiefs, Byard recorded four tackles in the 35–24 road loss.
2020 Head coach Mike Vrabel took over duties as the defensive coordinator following the retirement of
Dean Pees. Byard returned as the starting free safety and remained alongside strong safety Kenny Vaccaro. During the narrow season-opening 16–14 road victory over the Broncos on
Monday Night Football, Byard had a team-high nine combined tackles (eight solo), a pass deflection, and a forced fumble. Two weeks later against the Vikings, he recorded four tackles and a pass deflection in the narrow 31–30 road victory. During Week 5 against the Bills on
Tuesday Night Football, Byard recorded two solo tackles and a pass deflection in the 42–16 victory. Three weeks later against the Bengals, he had seven tackles and a pass deflection during the 31–20 road loss. During a Week 10 34–17 loss to the Colts on
Thursday Night Football, Byard had a team-high 10 combined tackles. In the next game against the Ravens, he recorded seven tackles and a pass deflection during the 30–24 overtime road victory. Three weeks later against the Jaguars, Byard had a season-high 11 combined tackles (eight solo) in the 31–10 road victory. During Week 15 against the
Detroit Lions, Byard tied his season-high of 11 combined tackles (six solo), set a season-high with two pass deflections, and had his lone interception of the season on a pass by
Chase Daniel in the 46–25 road victory. In the next game against the Packers on
Sunday Night Football, Byard had a team-high nine combined tackles (tied with
David Long Jr.) during the 40–14 road loss. Byard finished the 2020 season with a team-leading 111 combined tackles (79 solo), seven pass deflections, an interception, and a forced fumble in 16 games and starts. Pro Football Focus had him finish the season with an overall grade of 65.8. The Titans finished atop the AFC South with an 11–5 record and qualified for the playoffs. During the
Wild Card Round against the Ravens, Byard recorded five tackles and a pass deflection in the 20–13 loss.
2021 On January 29, 2021, outside linebackers coach
Shane Bowen was promoted to defensive coordinator. Bowen retained Byard as the starting free safety to enter the regular season and paired him with
Amani Hooker following the departure of
Kenny Vaccaro. During the season-opening 38–13 loss to the
Arizona Cardinals, Byard recorded two solo tackles, a pass deflection, and his first interception of the season off of
Kyler Murray. Two weeks later against the Colts, Byard had five tackles and two pass deflections in the 28–16 victory. In the next game against the
New York Jets, he recorded six tackles and a pass deflection during the 27–24 overtime road loss. During Week 5 against the Jaguars, Byard had 11 tackles, two pass deflections, an interception, and scored his first career touchdown after he recovered a fumble that teammate
Elijah Molden forced by tight end
Dan Arnold and returned it for a 30-yard touchdown on the opening drive of the Titans' 37–19 road victory. In the next game against the Bills on
Monday Night Football, Byard recorded two tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception during the 34–31 victory. The following week against the Chiefs, he had four solo tackles and a forced fumble in the 27–3 victory. During a Week 8 34–31 overtime road victory over the Colts, Byard had four solo tackles, a season-high three pass deflections, and secured the victory after intercepting a pass by
Carson Wentz to wide receiver
Michael Pittman in overtime, leading to
Randy Bullock's 44-yard game-winning field goal. Byard was later named AFC Defensive Player of the Month for October after recording 27 tackles, seven pass deflections, three interceptions, a forced fumble, and a touchdown on a fumble recovery. In the next game against the
Los Angeles Rams on
Sunday Night Football, he had three tackles, a pass deflection, and his first career pick-six after intercepting a pass thrown by
Matthew Stafford to wide receiver
Robert Woods during the 28–16 road victory. The following week against the
New Orleans Saints, Byard recorded five tackles and a pass deflection in the narrow 23–21 victory. During Week 12 against the Patriots, Byard recorded a season-high 12 combined tackles and his first sack of the season on
Mac Jones in the 36–13 road loss. Following a Week 13 bye, the Titans returned home to face the Jaguars. Byard finished the 20–0 shutout victory with five tackles and a pass deflection. Two weeks later against the
San Francisco 49ers on
Thursday Night Football, he had six tackles and a forced fumble in the 20–17 victory. Byard finished the 2021 season with 88 combined tackles (57 solo), 13 pass deflections, five interceptions, two forced fumbles, a sack, and a career-high two touchdowns in 17 games and starts. He was named to his second
Pro Bowl and earned first team All-Pro honors. Byard set a career-high with an overall grade of 90.6 from
Pro Football Focus in 2021. The Titans finished atop the AFC South with a 12–5 record and qualified for the playoffs as the #1-seed. In the
Divisional Round against the Bengals, Byard had three solo tackles during the 19–16 loss. He was ranked 34th by his fellow players on the
NFL Top 100 Players of 2022.
2022 Byard entered training camp slated as the
de facto starting free safety alongside Amani Hooker. Head coach Mike Vrabel officially named Byard and Hooker the starting safeties to begin the season. During the season-opener against the
New York Giants, Byard had a season-high 12 combined tackles (eight solo) in the narrow 21–20 loss. Two weeks later against the
Las Vegas Raiders, he recorded four tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception off of
Derek Carr in the narrow 24–22 victory. During a Week 9 20–17 loss to the Chiefs on
Sunday Night Football, Byard tied his season-high of 12 combined tackles (six solo). During Week 13 against the Eagles, Byard had a team-high seven combined tackles (tied with
Tre Avery and
Monty Rice) in the 35–10 road loss. In the next game against the Jaguars, he recorded three solo tackles and two pass deflections during the 36–22 loss. During Week 15 against the Chargers, Byard recorded five tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception off of
Justin Herbert in the 17–14 road loss. In the next game against the Texans, Byard had a team-high nine combined tackles (tied with Monty Rice) during the 19–14 loss. The following week against the Cowboys on
Thursday Night Football, he recorded six tackles, a season-high two pass deflections, and set a season-high with two interceptions on passes thrown by Dak Prescott in the 27–13 loss. Byard finished the 2022 season with 108 combined tackles (69 solo), four interceptions, and six pass deflections in 17 games and starts. He led the Titans interceptions and total tackles. Byard received an overall grade of 79.5 from Pro Football Focus in 2022.
2023 On July 21, 2023, the Titans and Byard agreed to restructure the remaining two years of his contract, with Byard signing a new two-year, $25.1 million contract that included a signing bonus of $7 million. He entered training camp slated as the
de facto starting free safety. Head coach Mike Vrabel retained Byard and Amani Hooker as the starting safety tandem to begin the regular season. During the season-opener against the Saints, Byard had a team-high eight combined tackles (tied with
Elijah Molden) in the narrow 16–15 road loss. In the next game against the Chargers, he recorded a team-high 12 combined tackles (seven solo) during the 27–24 overtime victory. Two weeks later against the Bengals, Byard had six solo tackles and a fumble recovery in the 27–3 victory. During a Week 6 24–16 loss to the Ravens in London, he had 10 tackles.
Philadelphia Eagles On October 23, 2023, Byard was traded to the
Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a fifth-round pick (146th overall) and a sixth-round pick (182nd overall) in the
2024 NFL draft along with safety
Terrell Edmunds. The Eagles acquired Byard as a replacement for
Justin Evans, after he was placed on injured reserve due to a knee injury. Upon his arrival, head coach
Nick Sirianni named Byard a starting strong safety and paired him with starting free safety
Reed Blankenship. Byard made his Eagles debut in Week 9 against the
Washington Commanders and finished the 38–31 road victory with seven tackles. Three weeks later against the Chiefs on
Monday Night Football, Byard recorded eight solo tackles, set a season-high with two pass deflections, and had his first interception of the season after picking off a pass thrown by
Patrick Mahomes in the endzone to wide receiver
Justin Watson during the 21–17 road victory. In the next game against the Bills, Byard had a season-high 13 combined tackles (eight solo) during the 37–34 overtime victory. During Week 14 against the Cowboys on
Sunday Night Football, Byard recorded five tackles and a pass deflection in the 33–13 road loss. Three weeks later against the Cardinals, he had 11 tackles in the 35–31 loss. In 16 games and starts on the Titans and Eagles rosters during the 2023 season, Byard accumulated 122 tackles (80 solo), three pass deflections, a fumble recovery, and an interception. He received an overall grade of 74.0 from Pro Football Focus in 2023. The Eagles finished second in the
NFC East with an 11–6 record and qualified for the playoffs as the #5-seed. During the
Wild Card Round against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Byard recorded five solo tackles in the 32–9 road loss. On March 1, 2024, Byard was released by the Eagles.
Chicago Bears 2024 On March 10, 2024, the
Chicago Bears signed Byard to a two-year, $15 million contract that included $7.39 million guaranteed upon signing and an initial
signing bonus of $3 million. Byard made his Bears debut in the season-opener against his former team, the
Tennessee Titans, and finished the 24–17 comeback victory with two tackles. In the next game against the Texans on
Sunday Night Football, Byard had a team-high 11 combined tackles (tied with
Tremaine Edmunds) and a fumble recovery during the 19–13 road loss. The following week against the Colts, he recorded six tackles and a pass deflection in the 21–16 road loss. During a Week 5 36–10 victory over the Panthers, Byard had six tackles, a pass deflection, and his only interception of the season on a pass thrown by
Andy Dalton to wide receiver
Jonathan Mingo. In the next game against the Jaguars in London, Byard recorded seven tackles and a pass deflection during the 35–16 victory. Three weeks later against the Cardinals, he had seven tackles, a fumble recovery, and his first sack of the season on Kyler Murray in the 29–9 road loss. During Week 10 against the Patriots, Byard recorded 11 tackles in the 19–3 loss. In the next game against the Packers, he had a team-high nine combined tackles (four solo) during the narrow 20–19 loss. The following week against the Vikings, Byard recorded a team-high 13 combined tackles (11 solo) in the 30–27 overtime loss. During a Week 13 23–20 road loss to the Lions on
Thanksgiving, Byard had a team-high 10 combined tackles (five solo). The next day, the Bears fired head coach Matt Eberflus after falling to a 4–8 record, and offensive coordinator
Thomas Brown was appointed to interim head coach for the rest of the season. In the next game against the 49ers, Byard recorded five tackles and a pass deflection during the 38–13 road loss. The following week against the Vikings on
Monday Night Football, he had six tackles and a pass deflection in the 30–12 road loss. During the regular-season finale against the Packers, Byard recorded a season-high 14 combined tackles (nine solo) and strip-sacked
Malik Willis in the narrow 24–22 road victory. Byard finished the 2024 season with a career-high 130 combined tackles (80 solo), seven pass deflections, a career-high two sacks, two fumble recoveries, a forced fumble, and an interception. He received an overall grade of 72.8 from
Pro Football Focus, which ranked 32nd among 121 qualifying safeties in 2024.
2025 During Week 3 against the Cowboys, Byard had seven tackles, a pass deflection, and sealed the 31–14 victory after intercepting
Joe Milton with less than a minute remaining. In the next game against the Raiders, Byard once again recorded seven tackles to go along with two pass deflections and two interceptions off of
Geno Smith during the narrow 25–24 road victory. Three weeks later against the Saints, Byard had two tackles, two pass deflections, and an interception in the 26–14 victory. During a narrow Week 11 19–17 road victory over the Vikings, Byard recorded five tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception. Two weeks later against his former team, the Eagles, Byard had a team-high six combined tackles (tied with
Jaquan Brisker), a pass deflection, and an interception in the 24–15 road victory. During Week 15 against the Packers, he recorded a season-high nine combined tackles (five solo) in the 22–16 overtime victory. In the regular season finale against the Lions, Byard had a team-high eight combined tackles (tied with Brisker and
Tremaine Edmunds), a pass deflection, and an interception off of
Jared Goff during the 19–16 loss. Byard finished the 2025 season with 93 combined tackles (61 solo), eight pass deflections, and a league-leading seven interceptions across 17 starts. He was named to his third
Pro Bowl. The Bears finished atop the
NFC North with an 11–6 record and qualified for the playoffs as the #2-seed. During the Wild Card Round against the Packers, Byard recorded five tackles in the 31–27 comeback victory. In the Divisional Round against the Rams, he once again had five tackles during the 20–17 overtime loss.
New England Patriots On March 11, 2026, Byard signed a one-year, $9 million deal with the
New England Patriots, reuniting him with head coach
Mike Vrabel. ==Career statistics==