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Jairus Byrd will get another chance to live up to the deal he signed during the 2014 offseason.

A year ago, the New Orleans Saints made one of the biggest splashes in the NFL by signing free-agent safety Jairus Byrd, which helped them generate a lot of buzz as a top Super Bowl contender.
A year later, that buzz is gone. But Byrd isn't.

Now healthy again, the three-time Pro Bowler still has a chance to make the kind of major impact the Saints expected when they signed him to a six-year, $54 million contract last March.


"The biggest thing I'm looking forward to is just a full offseason. Just being out there, being around the guys, going through everything and just staying healthy," said Byrd, who put a lot of blame for the Saints' 2014 struggles on his own shoulders -- or, rather, his back and his knee.

Byrd, 28, missed most of the offseason last year after having back surgery to relieve a nagging disk issue. He came back during the preseason, but wound up missing the final 12 weeks of the regular season after tearing the lateral meniscus in his knee during practice.

He wasn't around enough to be the playmaker -- or the veteran leader -- that the Saints sorely needed.

And the four weeks that Byrd did play weren't pretty, either, as the entire secondary struggled with missed tackles and blown assignments during a dreadful 1-3 start.


Healthy Jairus Byrd eager to become part of the solution for Saints - New Orleans Saints Blog - ESPN

saintsfan1976

Injuries, yes. And I would go back even further to include Jabari Greer and Victor Butler.

We were not prepared to replace both and suffered for it.

RaginCajun83

After what he did last season before he got hurt, any production will be part of a solution if the Saints are really committed to improving the defense. It was a train wreck with him back there, I really hope that was more PRob and not Byrd

nola_swammi

It was more of Vacarro learning to play strong safety. He was like a lost puppy out there making the corners look worst than they really were & that is saying a lot since they were terrible. If he learn to play his assignment instead of drifting around and taking bad angles to make tackle in the secondary they will vastly improve.

triman

Vaccaro was a huge disappointment. He was a good rookie and just awful as a second year player. If he can turn it around and Byrd returns to pro bowl form we can have a stellar secondary.

ChrisXVI

Byrd is a deep zone coverage safety... If the guys underneath aren't good in coverage then Byrd is worthless. Improved play from our CB's forces QB's to force passes into tighter windows and that's where Byrd can excel as a ballhawk.

hagan714

maximize the return on our investment with Byrd we still need pieces on the defense at LB and CB. SS is a question mark still.

CB must be able to bump and run and play man
LB need to cover also.

then Byrd can do what he does best, free lance

WillSaints81

Its not his fault and he didn't know much. He was hurt most of last offseason and had no time to gel with the team and learn the playbook.

Rugby Saint II

He is going to be a stud this year with improved CB play.