Tennessee Titans head coach Mike Vrabel offered a heartfelt statement of thanks to Kevin Byard just one day after the two-time Pro Bowl safety was traded to the Philadelphia Eagles:

Acknowledging that the NFL is a business first, Vrabel appeared to get choked up when he said that the decision to move Byard after their five seasons together was a difficult one.

In Monday's trade with the Eagles, the Titans received a 5th and 6th-round pick in the 2024 draft, along with safety Terrell Edmunds.

Byard was a longtime member of the Titans, and one of the best defensive players in the NFL over his eight seasons. The team's willingness to move him for draft capital potentially signals the start of a fire sale in Tennessee. The Titans find themselves at 2-4 through Week 7, good for last place in the AFC South.

As for Byard, he slots into an Eagles secondary that has been banged up this season. Safety Justin Evans has been on injured reserve all season, and safety Reed Blankenship missed time with a rib injury. Cornerback Bradley Roby is also dealing with a shoulder injury.

It's difficult to do a better job upgrading the position than the Eagles did landing Byard. Regarded as one on the best safeties in football, Byard has 47 tackles and a fumble recovery through his six games this season.

It may be difficult to move on, but he now leaves a struggling franchise that may be on the verge of more changes and joins a first place Eagles team coming off of a Super Bowl appearance just last year.