Haason Reddick Having Fun in His First Summer with Eagles
PHILADELPHIA – Whenever his helmet wasn’t on, a black hood was pulled up over his head.
It’s a curious choice for Haason Reddick since temperatures pushed 100 degrees on Tuesday during Day 9 of Eagles training camp.
So, he was asked about the hood.
“It’s my Dr. Doom look,” he laughed, noting it's something he has worn all summer.
Reddick is having fun in his first summer with the Eagles, and why not?
He has stability, after signing a three-year free-agent deal with an AVV of $15 million per season.
He has a people-mover in the middle of the defensive line in rookie Jordan Davis, whom Reddick said is “getting that push up the middle which is lovely for a guy like me. It makes it hard for a QB to step up in the pocket and escape that edge rush.”
He also has something else that he hasn’t had, and that is a coaching staff that values his opinion, especially defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon and defensive ends/linebackers coach Jeremiah Washburn.
“I know what my role is,” said Reddick. “I know what I’m here to do and I don’t have to worry about being put in a position that isn’t meant for me. Nine times out of 10, JG, Wash are asking me what do I like? What do I feel is best for me as far as my skill set? And you love to see that.
“As a guy who had a rocky start to the NFL with position changes and all that, to be in a place now where I’m being asked for my insight, that in itself is just incredible.”
Haason Reddick
Ed Kracz/SI Fan Nation Eagles Today
Reddick was brought here to help the pass rush, but he was asked if he ever tells his DC or Washburn if he wants to drop into coverage.
He didn’t say yes or no, but it does sound, still, like dropping will be part of a game-day defensive package.
“JG explained to me why we need it, and it always sounds like the best option,” he said. “I appreciate that and understand there are some things that come off of some other things, so when I hear him explain it, it’s, OK, he doesn’t want me to do this just because. He has a reason for it and I love that most about him.”
Reddick said he has “done well with (dropping).”
Still, he’s here to rush the QB.
The Eagles simply have to have more than the 29 sacks they had last year, which was next-to-last in the entire league.
It’s not easy to tell when a sack is a sack during these camp practices, especially with a quarterback like Jalen Hurts and his ability to keep his legs churning even as the pocket melts.
It does appear, however, that the rush is pestering Hurts plenty.
“We actually had that discussion (Sunday) in the night practice (at Lincoln Financial Field) because when the head coach reviews the tape with everybody, we put up good, bad, play of the day, this and that.
“The play that I put up for good for the defense, there was a lot of question, was that a sack or not? I said, ‘Yeah, that's going to be a sack,’ because you have to realize too, our guys that are rushing edges or when they're rushing, half the time they're pulling off as they're getting to the top of their rush. ... I think they're rushing as a unit a little bit better than last year.”
There’s no telling how many sacks Reddick, or anyone else, has this summer, but he probably would have one on Tuesday with Davis perhaps sharing it since both were on the scene during one 11-on-11 play.
“It’s more difficult in practice,” he said. “I find myself letting up a lot of times just because you don’t ever want to get too close to the quarterback. We need Jalen for game one and the rest of the season. You never really know (how it will all come together) until we get into the games and it actually starts happening, but man, the pass rush unit is working really hard right now, seeing a lot of great things just from a veteran perspective.
"I’m excited. I was actually telling Wash this earlier today that I haven’t been this excited about playing football since I’ve been in the NFL.”
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
