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AFC Notes: Kevin Byard, Bradyn Swinson, Armand Membou, Patriots, Jets
Jun 26, 2026Tony CaminoNFL Trade Rumors
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Patriots New England signed S Kevin Byard in free agency, bringing in a veteran presence to the secondary with plenty of familiarity with HC Mike Vrabel . Patriots safeties coach Scott Booker couldn’t say enough about how much Byard’s experience will help, considering he’s played against most offensive coordinators in the NFL. “Moving forward with KB, bringing 11 years of experience, he’s seen it all,” Booker said, via Karen Guergian of Mass Live . “He’s faced all the quarterbacks we’ve faced this year. He’s faced a majority of the (offensive) coordinators.” “He understands the different offensive systems whether it’s west coast, whether it’s (Brian) Daboll, whatever these systems are, (Buffalo’s Joe) Brady, he’s faced all of them and understands all the nuances.” Beyond just his on-field impact with his intelligence, Booker thinks Byard will be a tremendous resource for second-year S Craig Woodson . “I think (Byard’s knowledge) is going to help Craig’s anticipation, and will help Craig with the overall big picture. As a rookie sometimes you just focus on your position … as the year went on, you could see his lens opening. Now it’s not just what my role is, but it’s also what the other guys around me are doing. “Bringing in a guy like Kevin, (Woodson) will definitely see the big picture and understand some of the things that a guy with that veteran time on task has been able to do.” Patriots Patriots second-year LB Bradyn Swinson was leading the team stretching during practice, prompting HC Mike Vrabel to predict his future as a team captain at some point. Vrabel couldn’t say enough good things about Swinson’s conditioning, and he has loved how Swinson has embraced contributing on special teams. “That’s leading. Yeah, I would say that’s reading into whatever. He’s going to be a team captain,” Vrabel said, via the team’s website . “He came back in shape, came back ready to go. I think he realized what professional football is after camp, where he was and what his role was, and he realized that maybe he wants a different role. I think he’s been conscientious with special teams. Sometimes you get these defensive ends that come in from college that are outside linebackers, and they haven’t done a lot of special teams. So, that’s a critical element. We need those players to be good on special teams for us. I think he improved over the course of last season, and certainly has taken to that early on in the spring and what we have been able to do. So, I’m excited about what he’ll be able to do and excited to see him in training camp.” Jets Jets OT Armand Membou said his focus this offseason has been getting more explosive and continuing to improve his strength. “ For me, I’m just trying to be explosive because I’m already pretty strong, ” Membou said, via the team’s website . “ I just want to get my body back right, get as strong and explosive as I can, master this new playbook [courtesy of new OC Frank Reich ] and get really dialed in this year. ” Jets HC Aaron Glenn said that he’s excited to watch Membou’s development and said that he’s committed to being the best version of himself. “ A lot of it has to do with the technique part of it, and he’s really getting that from his coach, ” Glenn said, referring to OL coach Steve Heiden . “ A lot of it has to do with the mentality part of it, Every day, man, I’m chopping wood to be the best I can be. Then physically, making sure he’s in shape, he’s strong and he’s conditioned to be able to play a n…