“After those first few practices, [Byard] brought us up, and he was like, ‘We need takeaways today,’ ” safety Dell Pettus said. “Before we went to any competitive team activity, he said, ‘We need more takeaways; we’re going to go out here and go get the football.
“ ‘Forget what everybody else is talking about; forget what the coaches talk about. This is our team. This is our defensive backfield. And it’s up to us to go get it, because the coaches can’t play for us.’ ”
Call it the Byard Effect: In recent days, the takeaways have come in bunches. Whether it’s been in practices or in Thursday’s preseason opener, the group has been aggressive to the football.
Shortly after Byard’s ask, the defense ended a practice with three consecutive picks of the Patriots’ quarterbacks, including Byard picking off Drake Maye. And two of the takeaways in Thursday’s preseason game came via defensive backs who picked Anthony Richardson and Riley Leonard.
“I don’t know if that’s a coincidence or something that [Byard] said and now it’s happening,” Woodson said. “But I mean, at the end of the day, that’s what we’ve got to do on defense: create takeaways. And we did that in the [preseason opener]. And the guys that played, man, they did a good job of doing that, and that helps us win games. So we’ve just got to keep going with that.”
Kindle Vildor had the first interception, collecting a tipped ball that was intended for Coleman Owen. Described as an “aggressive” corner by coach Mike Vrabel, the pick from Vildor was the latest positive development for a player angling for one of the last cornerback spots on the roster.
John Saunders and K.J. Britt each forced first-half fumbles. The second interception of the night (and fourth takeaway) came at the start of the second half, when safety Saunders was able to artfully high-point a ball from Leonard and come away with the pick.
During the 2025 regular season, the Patriots were in the bottom half of the league with 10 interceptions; only 10 teams had fewer. The Bears, with Byard’s league-best seven picks, led with 23.
New England had five picks in the playoffs — including a pair in the divisional playoff win over the Texans from cornerback Carlton Davis — but it remains a defensive point of emphasis.
Enter Byard. The arrival of the 5-foot-11-inch, 218-pounder has sparked a new attitude among the defensive backs in Foxborough. In his relatively short time in New England, the three-time All-Pro continues to make his presence felt, both on and off the field. His leadership has manifested itself in extra film work, additional reps for defensive backs before and after practice, and an understanding that turnovers are not about lucky bounces, but can be found by paying attention to the smallest details.
“He has a voice that’s really empowering, when it comes to some of the things that he’s able to preach to us as a DB group and even to the coaches as well,” Woodson said. “It’s good to have that leadership in the room, and I think that’s just going to help us.”
Byard’s philosophy has allowed him to lead the league in picks twice, with 36 interceptions during his 10-year career.
“His presence here, he’s going to make his plays for sure,” Davis said. “But it’s going to be on us to follow his lead.”
It’s made life a lot easier for Vrabel, who also coached Byard in Tennessee, and the coaching staff.
“I really always appreciate [having] guys like that, that you can trust. That may make a mistake, but they’re not going to make too many of them,” Vrabel said. “They won’t make the same mistake twice. And he understands how critical the football is, making plays down the field and the risk-reward of some of those things.
“It’s comforting, it’s calming. I’ve always talked about how Kevin never gets really too high or too low. And you see some of these guys, they’re exhausted after a first couple plays, and Kevin just saves his energy for when the ball is snapped, and I’ve always appreciated that about him.”
Christopher Price can be reached at christopher.price@globe.com. Follow him on Bluesky at christopherprice.bsky.social.
