Byard hurries back after birth of first baby

Titans safety got two hours sleep in advance of Thursday's workout

Christopher Hanewic/USA Today Network

Kevin Byard donned a little extra ‘equipment’ during Thursday’s practice.

The Tennessee Titans safety wore a couple of ID bracelets from a local hospital because that’s where he was scant hours before the day’s workout. And it was where he was headed as quickly as possible following the session, which included some game-planning for Sunday’s preseason contest against the Pittsburgh Steelers (7 p.m., Nissan Stadium).

Byard was with his wife, Clark, when she delivered the couple’s first child at 1:07 a.m. Eliana Rose Byard came nearly a month early (the due date was Sept. 16) and a little undersized (four pounds, 10 ounces) but is healthy after what her first-time father called a “smooth delivery.”

“I pretty much got to sleep around four in the morning, got about two hours of rust, jumped up and told [general manager] Jon [Robinson] I was coming to practice,” Byard said. “It was just like that. I wanted to make sure I was here for the guys. I never want to let the team down.

“… I’m sure if I told (Robinson), ‘Hey, I’m tired. I’m dead. I’m probably not going to be able to practice,’ I could have told him that, but that’s not the kind of person I am. I wanted to come be here with my brothers. I wanted to come out and practice.”

The fourth-year safety has led the Titans in interceptions each of the last two seasons and was. Pro Bowler and All-Pro in 2017. At the start of training camp he signed a five-year, $70.5 million contract extension that made him the NFL’s highest-paid player at his position (based on average annual value).

He is exactly the type of performer who has earned the opportunity to miss a little practice time, especially to attend to all that comes with a life-changing event. And he skipped out on Wednesday’s work when he got word that his wife was in labor but did not want to miss another.

“I guess I never assumed that he wouldn’t be here, and if he wasn’t here, I knew that he was there,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “[He] made sure everything was fine with the baby and his wife. It was great to have him back.”

Had the baby arrived on schedule, Byard would have faced the prospect of missing a game. The due date fell on the day of the home-opener, a Week 2 matchup with the Indianapolis Colts.

Now that’s not an issue.

“The timing is actually perfect, in my opinion,” Byard said. “I get to come play in a preseason game and start preparing for the regular season without having that stress of ‘the baby might come here, it might come there.’ So it was great timing. She’s healthy.

“… It was incredible. … It definitely is going to change my life for the better and it’s super exciting to see her.”