Personal information | |||||||||||
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Born: | [1] Erial, New Jersey, U.S. | January 27, 1993
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Height: | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | ||||||||||
Weight: | 175 lb (79 kg) | ||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||
High school: |
Timber Creek Regional (Erial, New Jersey) | ||||||||||
College: | South Carolina (2011–2014) | ||||||||||
Position: | Wide receiver | ||||||||||
Undrafted: | 2015 | ||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||
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* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
Damiere Byrd (born January 27, 1993) is an American football wide receiver who is a free agent. He played college football at South Carolina and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Carolina Panthers in 2015. Byrd has also been a member of the Arizona Cardinals, New England Patriots, Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, and Houston Texans.
Byrd played wide receiver for the South Carolina Gamecocks football team as a true freshman in 2011. After his senior season in 2014, Byrd had amassed 1,265 yards on 68 receptions (18.6 yards/catch) with 10 touchdowns in his collegiate career. [2]
Byrd was considered the fastest player on the team while at South Carolina and also competed for the South Carolina track team. [3] [4]
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
5 ft 9+1⁄8 in (1.76 m) |
173 lb (78 kg) |
29+7⁄8 in (0.76 m) |
8 in (0.20 m) |
4.28 s | 1.51 s | 2.54 s | 4.03 s | 6.60 s | 42.0 in (1.07 m) |
10 ft 11 in (3.33 m) |
13 reps | |
All values from Pro Day [5] [6] |
At the South Carolina Pro Day, Byrd only ran the 40-yard dash once, since his left calf muscle tightened up on him. Byrd, having a track & field background, was able to put up impressive numbers, completing the short shuttle in 4.03 seconds, the three-cone in 6.6 seconds and the 60-yard long shuttle in 10.90 seconds, faster than any other time posted at the 2015 scouting combine. [5]
On May 8, 2015, Byrd was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Carolina Panthers. On September 5, 2015, he was released by the Panthers. [7] On September 7, 2015, Byrd was signed to the Panthers' practice squad, where he spent the rest of his rookie season. [8] On February 7, 2016, Byrd's Panthers played in Super Bowl 50. In the game, the Panthers fell to the Denver Broncos by a score of 24–10. [9]
Byrd signed a reserve/futures contract with the Panthers on February 9, 2016.
Byrd made the initial 53-man roster in 2016 but was inactive for the first five games before being released on October 14, 2016. [10] He was re-signed to the practice squad the next day. [11] He was promoted back to the active roster on December 29, 2016. [12]
On October 1, 2017, during the second quarter of a game versus the New England Patriots, Byrd broke his left arm on a reverse play. He was subsequently placed on the injured reserve two days later. [13] He was activated off injured reserve to the active roster on December 2, 2017. [14] In Week 16, Byrd returned a kickoff 103 yards, a franchise record, and scored the Panthers' first kickoff-return touchdown since 2011 which was crucial in the 22–19 win over the Buccaneers, earning him National Football Conference (NFC) Special Teams Player of the Week. [15] However during the second half of the game, Byrd suffered a lower leg injury and subsequently was placed on injured reserve on December 26, 2017. [16]
Byrd entered the 2018 season as the Panthers primary punt returner. He played in eight games before suffering a broken arm in Week 12. He was placed on injured reserve on November 27, 2018. [17]
On March 26, 2019, Byrd signed with the Arizona Cardinals. [18] He played in 11 games with three starts, recording a career-high 32 catches for 359 yards and one touchdown. [19]
On March 23, 2020, Byrd signed a one-year contract with the New England Patriots. [20]
In Week 11 against the Houston Texans, Byrd recorded six catches for 132 yards and a touchdown during the 27–20 loss. [21]
Byrd finished the season playing in 16 games with 47 receptions, 604 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown. [22]
On May 4, 2021, Byrd signed with the Chicago Bears. [23] In the Week 14 game against the Green Bay Packers, Byrd caught a 54-yard touchdown pass from Justin Fields. [24]
On April 1, 2022, Byrd signed a one-year contract with the Atlanta Falcons. [25] On October 22, in Week 7 against the Cincinnati Bengals, Byrd recorded his first touchdown of the season on a 75–yard reception from Marcus Mariota. [26]
On April 14, 2023, Byrd signed with the Panthers. [27] He was placed on injured reserve on August 16, 2023. [28] He was released on August 25. [29]
On October 19, 2023, Byrd was signed to the Falcons practice squad. [30] He was released on November 22. [31]
On January 17, 2024, Byrd was signed to the Houston Texans practice squad. [32] He was not signed to a reserve/future contract after the season and thus became a free agent when his practice squad contract expired. [33]