Arizona Cardinals sign WR Damiere Byrd to one-year deal

Mar 26, 2019, 12:13 PM

(Photo by Grant Halverson/Getty Images)

Arizona Sports

The Arizona Cardinals announced Tuesday their signing of wide receiver Damiere Byrd to a one-year deal.

The terms of Byrd’s new contract weren’t disclosed.

Byrd is a 5-foot-9, 180-pound wide receiver with an emphasis in kick returning. He was with the Carolina Panthers the last four seasons, and signed there as an undrafted free agent out of South Carolina. As a student-athlete, he amassed 1,406 yards from scrimmage in 45 college games.

In Byrd’s first season with the Panthers, the now-26-year-old was only on the practice squad. But the New Jersey native has played 17 games (three starts) over the last three seasons, and last year, Byrd had 138 yards on punt and kick returns with one touchdown. He added only eight more yards from scrimmage in 2018 (one catch for eight yards).

Byrd holds the Panthers’ franchise record with a 103-yard kickoff return touchdown, a feat he accomplished against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2017.

Based on what the Cardinals deployed in 2018, their options for kick returns already include T.J. Logan and Brandon Williams, while the punt returner could be Christian Kirk or Pharoh Cooper.

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