Patriots are reportedly signing wide receiver Damiere Byrd

Damiere Byrd scores a touchdown in the third quarter against the Los Angeles Rams. Photo by John McCoy/Getty Images

March 17, 2020

1 minute to read

The Patriots are signing 27-year-old wide receiver Damiere Byrd to a one-year deal, NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday evening.

Byrd — 5-foot-9, 180 pounds — caught 32 passes for 359 yards and one touchdown as a member of the Arizona Cardinals last season. He averaged 7.8 yards per target and 11.2 yards per reception. His catch percentage of 69.6 ranked second among Arizona’s wide receivers with at least 10 targets, behind only Pharoh Cooper. Bryd was also used in special teams, returning four kicks for 59 yards.

Prior to signing with the Cardinals in March 2019, Byrd played three seasons with the Carolina Panthers. In 17 games over those three years, Bryd caught a total of 12 passes for 129 yards and two touchdowns. He also returned 12 punts and 10 kickoffs, including a 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in 2017.

As a rookie, Bryd split his time between Carolina’s practice squad and 53-man roster.

His second and third seasons were both thwarted by injury. In a game against the Patriots in October 2017, Byrd broke his left arm on a reverse play. He was placed on injured reserve but returned to action after getting activated to the active roster eight weeks later. Bryd then suffered a lower leg injury in December and was placed on injured reserve. The following year, in November 2018, Bryd suffered a broken arm and was placed on season-ending injured reserve.

An undrafted free agent out of South Carolina in 2015, Byrd was also a sprinter for the track and field team in college. At South Carolina’s pro day, he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.28 seconds on grass.