The Eagles had a busy Monday, agreeing to terms with edge rusher and former Temple standout Haason Reddick and reportedly non-tendering linebacker Alex Singleton. Reddick brings a much-needed boost to Philadelphia’s pass rush, while Singleton is a special teams ace and fan favorite who played a ton of snaps on defense over the last couple of years purely out of necessity.
The NFL’s bizarre “legal tampering” period opened on Monday afternoon, and an immediate flurry of agreements followed. The NFL’s solution to teams clearly tampering prior to the official open of free agency several years ago was to create this two-day tampering window, which now means that teams just tamper before that window. It also means that, every year, there are reported agreements that end up falling through since these deals can’t become official until NFL free agency opens two days later.
The Haason Reddick Fit
Eagles fans have been clamoring for the team to acquire Reddick since he was coming out of college. Now, they get their guy, while the Eagles get a much-needed pass rusher to line up opposite Josh Sweat or Brandon Graham. Reddick is also more of an “edge rusher” than a pure defensive end, which may give defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon some flexibility when creating and disguising his looks.
Last season, linebackers Genard Avery and Patrick Johnson played a hybrid SAM linebacker/pass-rusher role for Jonathan Gannon’s defense, and some believe Reddick is pegged for that gig. Reddick is still just 27 years old and has 23.5 sacks over the past two seasons. In his new Twitter bio, Reddick has “Weapon for the Philadelphia Eagles.”
The Arizona Cardinals originally drafted him with the 13th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
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Mike Maher is the editor and publisher of The Birds Blitz and Juiced Ball Era. Follow him on Twitter @mikeMaher and @TheBirdsBlitz and check out his Eagles news archive for all of his latest stories about the Eagles and the NFL.
Image Caption: CHARLOTTE, NC – NOVEMBER 21: Haason Reddick (43) outside linebacker of Carolina during an NFL football game between the Washington Football Team and the Carolina Panthers on November 21, 2021, at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, N.C. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire)
