The Washington Commanders have signed veteran wide receiver Damiere Byrd to their active roster.
Byrd, an undrafted free agent from South Carolina, has been in the NFL for eight seasons, appearing in 76 games with 28 starts. He’s caught 63.1% of his targets, accumulating 1,689 yards and seven touchdowns on 130 receptions. Byrd spent the past two seasons with the Falcons, where he caught 13 passes for 268 yards and two scores.
Byrd spent his entire college career with the Gamecocks and amassed 1,265 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns during his college career. His best season came in 2013, when he caught 33 passes for 575 yards, averaging 17.4 yards per reception.
After going undrafted, Byrd was signed by the Carolina Panthers in 2015 and spent four seasons with the team. He spent his rookie year on the practice squad before getting snaps, earning his first career start in 2017. He set a franchise record with the Panthers in Week 16 that year by returning a kickoff 103 yards and scored the first kickoff-return touchdown since 2011.
Following a year with the Cardinals, Byrd was signed by the New England Patriots, where he had his most productive season with 14 starts. He was second on the team with 604 yards on 47 receptions.
