When the Philadelphia Eagles signed pass rush specialist Haason Reddick in the offseason, they expected the local product to perform similarly to the last two seasons, when he racked up a total of 23.5 sacks. That’s why they made him their highest paid free agent signing, averaging $15 million a year.
So when Reddick opened the season with no sacks and no quarterback hits in the first two games, there were rumblings of disappointment around Philadelphia and questions about whether he was being utilized properly. Head coach Nick Sirianni was not having it after breaking down the film.
“I’m like, man, it’s close. It’s close to having a big game,” Sirianni said in his September 23 press conference. “That is my experience with defensive ends at times, is that maybe they’re quiet for a couple weeks as far as the amount of hits they get on the quarterback or pressures or the amount of sacks. Then boom, like that, it can change like that. I just keep thinking he’s close to having a breakout game, so that means he is getting some of the pressure that we want on the quarterback.”
Reddick had his breakout game as an Eagle in their 24-8 win over the Commanders at FedEx field on Sunday, September 25, racking up 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble. While he was speaking with the press, Nick Sirianni brought his receipts and made sure everyone knew it.
“I told he was close to blowing up!” Sirianni shouted at reporters as he headed towards his own press conference. “Temple!” Sirianni added, referencing Reddick’s college career at Temple University in Philadelphia.
“I told you he was close to blowing up!”
Nick Sirianni’s prediction that Haason Reddick was close to having a breakout game proved true, and he wasn’t exactly humble about it.
“You can never get frustrated about it, sacks truly come in bunches,” Reddick told a group of reporters after the game on September 26, as reported by ESPN’s Tim McManus. “One week you can have none, the next week you can have two, three, you know, four, you just never know when it’s going to happen. The only thing that you can keep doing is continue to rush, continue to play as hard as you can, continue to try to ball out.”
The 1.5 sack performance marked the ninth time in Reddick’s career that he’s had more than one sack in a game.
4 Eagles Had Multi-Sack Games, Led by Brandon Graham
Veteran defense end Brandon Graham racked up 2.5 sacks against former Eagle Carson Wentz to lead the way, with Reddick, Josh Sweat, and Fletcher Cox adding 1.5 sacks each.
“I mean, just knowing Carson, I felt like we just had to make sure with any quarterback, that you get pressure on him when you can and make sure that you keep him contained in the pocket, ’cause we know when he gets outside the pocket, he’s a great quarterback,” Graham said during his post-game press conference. “I just felt like we just played together and the biggest thing for us is just making sure that we do what we do and not worry about nothing else.”
Eagles Defense Now Leads NFL in Sacks
With nine sacks against the Commanders, the Eagles surged into the league lead with 12 sacks, one ahead of the Buffalo Bills.
The Eagles are also giving up the fewest yards per attempt through the air this season, at 4.4 yards, a full yard ahead of the Broncos and Buccaneers, who are tied for second. Philadelphia is one of seven teams with more interceptions than passing touchdowns allowed, having yielded three passing touchdowns while picking off four passes.
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Head Coach Sounds Off on Eagles’ Highest Paid Free Agent Signing