Eagles edge rusher Haason Reddick film: explosive, relentless, a better fit for Jonathan Gannon’s scheme

Haason Reddick was chosen with the 13th overall pick of the 2017 NFL draft, one slot ahead of Derek Barnett.

It’s unclear if the Eagles would have taken Reddick had he been available, but it’s unlikely. The Cardinals, and other teams, viewed the Temple product as an off-ball linebacker even though he thrived on the edge as a pass rusher in college.

Reddick tested with edge rushers at the combine, but his relative lack of size for the position — 6-foot-1, 235 pounds — coupled with his elite athleticism convinced some evaluators that he could play inside linebacker in the pros.

The Eagles, of course, would have never drafted an off-ball linebacker that high, and even if they projected Reddick as a defensive end, there might have been trepidation about his fit in Jim Schwartz’s 4-3 front.

Five years later, with a new scheme, and with Reddick available again, the Eagles acquired the free agent — for three years, $45 million with $30 million guaranteed — and essentially replaced Barnett, also a free agent.

But the swap — Barnett is still on the market — wasn’t primarily about schemes. Reddick represents an upgrade having tallied 23 1/2 sacks over the last two seasons with the Cardinals and then the Panthers. That’s two more than Barnett recorded in five seasons in Philadelphia.

The signing, which became official on Wednesday, wasn’t only about Barnett’s disappointing tenure. But Reddick, especially once he was moved to the edge, is a more explosive, durable version of the Eagles’ former first rounder.

There are obvious differences in style, size, and temperament. Reddick has more versatility, which should give defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon a moveable chess piece to help create deception up front.

But ultimately, the 27-year-old Camden native is an edge rusher. He has an attack mindset, and while his frame can hinder in the run game or against certain tackles, Reddick got paid because of his ability to pressure, hit and, ultimately, sack quarterbacks.

It just took Arizona several seasons to figure out his appropriate usage. The Panthers had no such problem with Reddick’s former Temple coaches, Matt Rhule and Phil Snow, knowing how to utilize his strengths.

“He went to [Carolina] last year because he priced himself out of the market,” an NFL personnel executive said. “So he took a cheaper deal [one year, $6 million] because he knew that with Rhule he’d have production.

“But he wasn’t going to come cheap this year.”

It’s fair to question why Carolina allowed a young, productive free agent at a premium position to walk. Reddick isn’t perfect. But no player is, and it will be Gannon’s responsibility to put him in favorable situations and complement counterpart Josh Sweat and the Eagles’ other defensive linemen.

Here are some of cut-ups of Reddick’s film from last season and how he may be employed by Gannon:

Speed is the name of Reddick’s game. He ran a 4.52 40-yard dash at the NFL scouting combine, which had scouts looking for sideline-to-sideline linebackers salivating. But his 10-yard split (1.59 seconds) has been the more transferable numeric in relation to edge rushing.

Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson, who has been projected by some as the No. 1 pick in April’s draft, ran a 1.62 for comparison. He has other impressive traits, of course. Reddick (No. 43), though, can turn and close as well as any edge rusher in the NFL.

Schwartz used to joke that beating tight ends for sacks didn’t count as much as others. Five of Reddick’s 11 sacks last season — one of which was split — came vs. tight ends in one-on-one matchups.

Maybe some offensive coordinators felt they could get away by blocking the smaller Reddick with tight ends. But he had as many sacks against tackles and used his considerable bend to get around them.

Reddick forced eight fumbles his last two seasons and 11 overall in his career. Barnett had only three.

While his outside speed rush is his bread-and-butter, Reddick would sometimes use a hand swipe to shed blockers. He could also lock horns and disengage if a tackle flashed his hands too fast.

Jordan Mailata (No. 68) was the guilty Eagle on the above burn, but it should be noted that he had just previously been moved out of the position from left to right tackle. He surrendered a sack to Reddick on the next play, but was late to get off because of an errant snap count.

Still, Reddick’s explosiveness, paired with his aggressive mentality, allows for him to get into the backfield and be disruptive, sometimes against the run.

Once Reddick establishes his effectiveness on the edge, he can counter with inside moves or an occasional spin.

But he rides mostly with his fastball.

“He’s sort of a one-trick pony, but he’s very good at that one trick,” an NFC senior scout said. “Brian Burns [Panthers defensive end] saw more doubles and chips on the other side. But [Reddick] is maybe 235 pounds. It’s not like he’s going to power his way to quarterbacks.”

Reddick has a high motor. That phrase has lost some of its appeal in Philly. Eagles general manager Howie Roseman has been occasionally guilty of overemphasizing speed and effort over size and skill. But persistence is still an important characteristic for an edge rusher.

A few of Reddick’s pressures came simply because he was unwilling to give up on a play. He may have only beat a tight end on this sack, and couldn’t bring down New York Jets quarterback Zach Wilson initially, but his engine stayed hot.

By the end of last season, Reddick had mentioned to Panthers reporters the notion of adding weight to his frame this offseason. Being on the smaller side certainly hurt him against power run teams or against tackles that countered his athleticism.

Against the Vikings in Week 6, he had zero pressures in 40 rush attempts, per Pro Football Focus.

He struggled in two late-season games against the Buccaneers, which may have led to the idea of adding bulk. He was credited with only one pressure in 52 rushes, per PFF.

Reddick wasn’t the only edge to have trouble getting by Tampa tackles Tristan Wirfs (No. 78) and Donovan Smith (No. 76) or to the quick-releasing Tom Brady last season. The argument against additional pounds is obvious: at what expense would it come to his quickness?

Some speed players also tend to suffer more lower body soft-tissue injuries when weight is added. Reddick has missed only one game in his career and that was after he was placed on the COVID-19 reserve list before Week 17 last season.

Reddick can get washed out against the run, even when pitted against tight ends.

But he can competently set the edge in a five-man front and when he sees an opportunity make a play.

“Tackles and blocking tight ends swallow him up and it often left [the Panthers] susceptible on the ground,” the NFC senior scout said. “But as long as you don’t move him inside to two-gap, he’s a willing run defender and can make plays from the back-side.”

The Eagles labeled Reddick a “linebacker” after they announced his arrival. He may end up Gannon’s nominal strong-side linebacker, but unlike Genard Avery, who mostly filled that role last season, Reddick will often be on the edge in passing situations.

He was predominantly a stand-up edge in Carolina, which is likely how he’ll line him up with the Eagles. He dropped into coverage on only 14 percent of pass plays, but just enough to keep offenses guessing about which rushers to block.

Barnett and Sweat dropped a combined less than 3 percent of the time.

This sequence of plays against the Texans last season showed how the Panthers were able to mix up their rushes with pre-snap blitz looks. They rushed only four on both plays — Reddick twisted inside on the first and dropped on the second — but caused enough confusion to result in sacks.

Quarterback Davis Mills held the ball and was flushed outside on the first play, and Reddick cleaned up for an assisted sack.

And on the second, Burns (No. 53) had a free rush to Mills when Houston’s O-line was errant in its blocking assignments.

Reddick rushed from both sides about evenly, but most of his production — 28 pressures vs. 10 — came when he lined up on the left. The Panthers hardly stood him up inside or as “Joker.” He did some spying on Bills quarterback Josh Allen in Week 15, though.

Reddick covered more than he rushed — 65 percent of the time — in his first three seasons in Arizona. But he lacked the instincts or the mentality to play at the second level. This might not be the best example from one of the times he had to cover last season, because he drew an unfavorable matchup against a slot receiver, but running downfield is not Reddick’s forte.

The Eagles won’t likely ask Reddick to run with tight ends or running backs in man coverage, or even drop into zones on a consistent basis, but he certainly can cover space and make plays on balls thrown in front of him.

But he only needs to drop on occasion. Reddick is a pass rusher and he should get plenty of opportunities to do what he loves most and what the Eagles struggled to consistently do last season: harass quarterbacks.