Six more safeties who have switched teams in NFL free agency

Last week we discussed safety Xavier McKinney of Roswell, Georgia as one of 13 National Football League defenders who switched teams in free agency. Now let’s take a look at six more safeties that are switching teams.

Kevin Byard

The native of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania signed a two-year deal worth $15 million with the Chicago Bears on March 10. Last season Byard split his time with the Tennessee Titans and Philadelphia Eagles. In 2023, he had 122 combined tackles (80 solo tackles and 42 assisted tackles), one interception, one fumble recovery and three pass deflections. Byard, who spent eight seasons with the Titans and was selected to the Pro Bowl in 2017 and 2021, had his fumble recovery with the Titans in a 27-3 win over the Cincinnati Bengals on October 1, and his interception with the Eagles in a 21-17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs on November 20.

Darnell Savage Jr.

The native of Salisbury, Maryland has spent the last five seasons with the Green Bay Packers before signing a three-year deal worth $21.75 million with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Wednesday. Savage Jr. had 51 combined tackles (36 solo tackles and 15 assisted tackles), one tackle for a loss, and one pass deflection in 2023. The tackle for a loss came in a 38-20 Packers win over the Chicago Bears on September 10 and the pass deflection came in a 27-19 Packers win over the Kansas City Chiefs on December 3. Savage Jr. also had a 64-yard interception return for a touchdown on January 14 in the Packers’s 48-32 upset win over the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Wildcard.

Geno Stone

The native of New Castle, Pennsylvania has spent the last four seasons with the Baltimore Ravens before signing a two-year deal worth $14 million with the Cincinnati Bengals and staying in the AFC North on March 11. In 2023, Stone had 68 combined tackles (44 solo tackles and 24 assisted tackles), seven interceptions for 101 yards and nine pass deflections. Stone was second in the NFL in interceptions. He was only behind DaRon Bland of Modesto, California, who had nine interceptions with the Dallas Cowboys.

Brandon Jones

The native of Nacogdoches, Texas has spent the last four seasons with the Miami Dolphins after signing a three-year deal worth $20 million with the Denver Broncos on March 11. In 2023, he had 48 combined tackles (36 solo tackles and 12 assisted tackles), two tackles for a loss, two interceptions for 40 yards, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and four pass deflections. The two interceptions came in a 30-0 Dolphins win over the New York Jets on December 17, and the fumble recovery came in a 22-20 Dolphins win over the Dallas Cowboys on Christmas Eve.

Rayshawn Jenkins

The native of St. Petersburg, Florida signed a two-year contract worth $12 million on March 13. He played four seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers from 2017 to 2020, and the last three seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2021 to 2023. In 2023, Jenkins had 101 combined tackles (66 solo tackles and 35 assisted tackles), seven tackles for a loss, one quarterback hit, two interceptions for 42 yards, and nine pass deflections.

Vonn Bell

The native of Chattanooga, Tennessee signed a one-year deal worth $6 million on March 14 with the Cincinnati Bengals. He is returning to the Bengals after playing there from 2020 to 2022. Bell also played with the New Orleans Saints (2016 to 2019) and one season with the Carolina Panthers (2023). In 2023, Bell had 69 combined tackles (42 solo tackles and 27 assisted tackles), one quarterback hit, one interception for 11 yards and two pass deflections.

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