The Eagles made an early splash in free agency Monday, agreeing to sign edge rusher Haason Reddick to a three-year contract worth up to $49.5 million.
The deal, which can’t be made official until Wednesday, should go a long way in improving the Eagles pass rush, which ranked 31st in sacks last year. Reddick, a former Temple standout, is a pure edge rusher and has some of the best sack production in the league; he’s one of eight players to compile more than 20 sacks in the last two seasons. He trails only T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, Aaron Donald, and Trey Hendrickson in sacks over that time.
The Eagles have developed a track record of coveting pass rushers over the last few decades, but they were thin on the edge going into the offseason. Reddick, 27, figures to occupy the “SAM” linebacker role in the Eagles’ base defense and can be a stand-up defensive end when the group is in sub packages. He’ll primarily serve as a pass rusher, but he has experience dropping into coverage as well.
Reddick was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals 17th overall in 2017 and caught his stride after transitioning from a linebacker-type to a pass-rush specialist two years ago. He signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers last offseason, reuniting with former Temple coach Matt Rhule, and proved his production wasn’t a one-year blip.
Now, the Camden native cashes in with a long-term deal worth roughly $15 million per year with $30 million guaranteed, league sources confirm. Reddick’s deal is comparable to the extension Emmanuel Ogbah and the Miami Dolphins reportedly agreed to earlier in the day. Ogbah will sign for four years, $65.4 million to stay with the Dolphins according to NFL Network, which works out to about $16.25 million a year.
Ogbah and Reddick’s production is similar. Reddick’s 23.5 sacks in the last two seasons outpaced Ogbah’s 18, but Ogbah has the advantage in quarterback hits (45 compared to 34).
The Eagles went into free agency with roughly $20 million in cap space, so Reddick’s deal will likely be the only big one they can afford. They’ll still have room to make smaller signings and could always clear a little space by trading players such as Fletcher Cox or Andre Dillard. They still have major holes to address at safety and cornerback.
Still, arguably the biggest area of need for the team going into the offseason was at edge rusher. Josh Sweat has developed into a starter-quality player, but Brandon Graham will be 34 next season and is coming off an Achilles tear. Genard Avery occupied the “SAM” role in the Eagles defense last season, but is entering free agency, as is Ryan Kerrigan.
It’s also a deep edge rusher class in the draft this year, which will give the Eagles the chance to double up on new additions at the position. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said he’d be “surprised” if the team didn’t target edge rushers at some point this offseason.
“The bottom line is we didn’t get enough pressure on the quarterback,” Roseman said at the NFL scouting combine. “We have to have pressure on the quarterback. We have to continue to have pressure on the quarterback. It’s a priority to us. We’ll have opportunities this offseason to do it, and I would be very surprised if we didn’t do something there.”
Reddick was a walk-on at Temple in 2012 but eventually earned a scholarship and became a three-year contributor and a two-year starter. He had 9.5 sacks as a redshirt senior in 2016 and was named first-team all-conference by the American Athletic Conference that season.
After news of the signing broke Monday afternoon, Reddick tweeted “I’m coming home.”
