Former Gamecock WR Damiere Byrd finds new home in NFL
Former South Carolina wide receiver Damiere Byrd is headed to the nation’s capital.
According to multiple reports, the 31-year-old has agreed to terms on a contract with the Washington Commanders.
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A nine-year NFL veteran, Byrd has caught 130 passes and seven touchdowns during his career. Last year, Byrd spent the majority of the season on two practice squads (Houston Texans and Atlanta Falcons) after being released by the Carolina Panthers last August. His lone appearance in 2023 came in Week 9 with the Falcons but he failed to record any stats.
An undrafted free agent in 2015, he spent his first four seasons with the Panthers. Since then, he’s hopped around the league with two stints with both Carolina and Atlanta, as well as spending time with New England, Chicago, and Houston.
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What makes Byrd’s signing intriguing is what he could bring to the table as a returner. With the new NFL kickoff rule, teams are looking at bringing in returners in a way that we haven’t seen in years. In 2017, Byrd set a Panthers franchise record after returning a kick 103 for a touchdown. In his career, he’s returned 29 kickoffs for 466 yards.
Xavier Legette already impressing Panthers coaching staff
There’s a reason why the Carolina Panthers traded up to select Xavier Legette in the first round of this year’s NFL Draft. But if there were any lingering questions about the move since the draft, some of those questions were answered this past weekend at Carolina’ rookie minicamp.
“At the combine, (I) got to see him there in person — foot-to-foot with him to size him up a little bit,” said Panthers head coach Dave Canales. “The way that he carries 225 (pounds) is pretty incredible. It’s just really well distributed in his body. It doesn’t look like there’s this really thick man. He’s just so… READ MORE HERE.
