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Joshua Bynes (born August 24, 1989) is an American football coach and former linebacker. He is currently the defensive assistant/linebackers coach for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent in 2011. He was also a member of the Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals, Cincinnati Bengals, and Carolina Panthers. He played college football for the Auburn Tigers, where he was a key member of their 2010 national championship team.
Throughout training camp, Bynes competed for a roster spot as a backup linebacker and special teams player against Tavares Gooden, Jason Phillips, Anthony Leon, and Chavis Williams. Bynes received minimal playing time in the Ravens' first three preseason games. On September 1, 2011, Bynes received an opportunity to play in the Ravens' preseason finale and recorded six solo tackles and two sacks in their 21–7 victory at the Atlanta Falcons. On September 3, 2011, the Baltimore Ravens released Bynes as part of their final roster cuts.
Bynes received numerous tryouts, but did not receive any contract offers. On November 9, 2011, the Baltimore Ravens signed Bynes to their practice squad after linebackers Ray Lewis and Dannell Ellerbe sustained injuries. On November 23, 2011, the Baltimore Ravens added Bynes to their active roster. On November 24, 2011, Bynes made his professional regular season debut during a 16–6 victory against the San Francisco 49ers in Week 12. On November 29, 2011, the Baltimore Ravens officially released Bynes after Ray Lewis recovered from his toe injury and re-signed him to their practice squad. On January 14, 2012, the Baltimore Ravens added Bynes to their active roster, but did not activate him for any games during the playoffs.
On October 17, 2012, the Ravens added Bynes to the active roster after Ray Lewis tore his triceps and was placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the regular season. Upon joining the active roster, Bynes was named a backup inside linebacker behind Dannell Ellerbe and Jameel McClain.
On December 16, 2012, Bynes earned his first career start and recorded a season-high 13 combined tackles (11 solo) and deflected a pass during a 34–17 loss to the Denver Broncos in Week 15. Bynes was named the starting inside linebacker after Jameel McClain suffered a spinal cord contusion during the Ravens' Week 14. Bynes finished the 2012 season with 34 combined tackles (19 solo) and a pass deflection in ten games and three starts.
The Ravens finished first in the AFC North with a 10–6 record. On January 6, 2013, Bynes appeared in his first career playoff game during a 24–9 win against the Indianapolis Colts in the AFC Wildcard Game. The Baltimore Ravens reached Super Bowl XLVII after they defeated the Denver Broncos 38–35 in the AFC Divisional Round and the New England Patriots 28–13 in the AFC Championship Game. On February 3, 2013, Bynes recorded one tackle as the Ravens defeated the San Francisco 49ers 34–31 in Super Bowl XLVII. Bynes tackled Ted Ginn Jr. after a Safety kick in the final seconds of the game to clinch the Ravens' 34–31 victory.
In Week 4, he collected a season-high nine combined tackles during a 23–20 loss at the Buffalo Bills. Bynes was inactive for the Ravens' Week 7 loss at the Pittsburgh Steelers due to thigh injury and infection in his finger. He was subsequently replaced by Jameel McClain and lost his starting position to him during his absence. He finished the season with 45 combined tackles (22 solo) and three pass deflections in 15 games and six starts.
Bynes entered training camp as a backup inside linebacker after the Ravens drafted C. J. Mosley in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft. Bynes competed for job ats a backup inside linebacker against Albert McClellan and Arthur Brown. On September 2, 2014, the Baltimore Ravens waived Bynes as part of their final roster cuts. On September 4, 2014, the Baltimore Ravens signed Bynes to their practice squad.
On October 25, 2016, the Detroit Lions signed Bynes after they traded Kyle Van Noy to the New England Patriots. Head coach Jim Caldwell named Bynes a starting outside linebacker. On December 4, 2016, he collected a season-high eight combined tackles (five solo) and broke up a pass during a 28–13 win at the New Orleans Saints. He finished the 2016 NFL season with 38 combined tackles (26 solo) and four pass deflections in nine games and eight starts.
The Detroit Lions finished second in the NFC North with a 9–7 record and earned a Wild Card berth On January 7, 2017, Bynes started in his first career playoff game and recorded seven combined tackles in their 26–6 loss at the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Wild Card Round.
On November 25, 2017, Bynes collected a season-high nine combined tackles in the Cardinals' 27–24 victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 12. The following week, he tied his season-high of eight solo tackles during a 32–16 loss to the Los Angeles Rams. On December 10, 2017, Bynes recorded a solo tackle, deflected a pass, and made his first career interception in the Cardinals' 12–7 win against the Tennessee Titans in Week 14. Bynes made his second career interception off a pass attempt by Titans' quarterback Marcus Mariota, that was originally intended for tight end Delanie Walker, and returned it for a 25-yard gain in the fourth quarter. On December 17, 2017, Bynes recorded two tackles before exiting in the fourth quarter of the Cardinals' 20–15 loss at the Washington Redskins due to an ankle injury. He was inactive for the next two games (Weeks 16–17) due to a sprained ankle. He finished the 2017 NFL season with 36 combined tackles (31 solo), three pass deflections, one interception, and a sack in 14 games and one start.
The Arizona Cardinals opted to change their base defense from a 3-4 defense to a 4-3 defense. Bynes entered training camp slated as the starting middle linebacker, but saw minor competition for the role from Scooby Wright. Head coach Steve Wilks named Bynes the starting middle linebacker to begin the season, alongside outside linebackers Haasan Reddick and Deone Bucannon.
He started in the Arizona Cardinals' season-opener against the Washington Redskins and recorded 11 combined tackles (eight solo) in their 24–6 loss. He started 11 games before suffering a thumb injury in Week 12. He was placed on injured reserve on November 26, 2018.
On March 5, 2019, Bynes was released by the Cardinals.
On April 8, 2022, the Ravens re-signed Bynes to a one-year contract. He was named a starting inside linebacker alongside Patrick Queen. He started the first seven games, but lost his starting job after the acquisition of Roquan Smith. He was a healthy scratch the next seven games before being released on December 23, 2022. He was re-signed to the practice squad on December 27. His practice squad contract with the team expired after the season on January 15, 2023.
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