Haason Reddick went from a walk-on to a standout at Temple. Now he’s joining the Eagles.

Reddick, a Camden native and Haddon Heights grad, has agreed to a three-year, $45 million contract with the Eagles.

Matt Ruhle (right) with Temple defensive lineman Haason Reddick in 2016. The Eagles have agreed to a three-year deal with Reddick.Read moreFILE PHOTO

Updated March 14, 2022, 5:35 p.m. ET

Published March 14, 2022, 5:19 p.m. ET

Temple fans may already be familiar with Haason Reddick’s story prior to him becoming one of the more dangerous pass-rushers in the NFL, but it’s certainly one all Eagles fans should know now that the Birds have agreed to a lucrative three-year deal with Reddick.

The Camden native and Haddon Heights grad was originally a walk-on defensive back for the Owls. And after redshirting his freshman year, his Temple career almost came to an end, as Reddick was told there wasn’t going to be room for him on the team.

But instead of quitting, Reddick switched positions and, as they say, the rest is history.

If it’s a story that sounds like it fits perfectly in Philly, that’s because it does.

Here’s more from a profile of Reddick by Inquirer reporter Marc Narducci, originally published in the fall of 2016 during Redick’s senior season with the Owls:

Reddick came to Temple in 2012 and redshirted that first season under head coach Steve Addazio. He was told by the coaching staff after season that there wouldn’t be a spot for him.

Then Addazio left for Boston College, and Matt Rhule took over as head coach. Francis Brown, who was a graduate assistant under Addazio, was hired by Rhule as the defensive backs coach... Brown’s history with Reddick was also a long one. Reddick is from Camden, and Brown used to watch him play youth football.

“I told Coach Rhule that this kid is a football player,” said Brown, who is now Temple’s associate head coach/defensive backs. “He is athletic. He can do 10 back-flips in a row if you asked him, and he is so competitive.”

[...]

So Reddick was given a second chance. But instead of staying in the secondary he was first moved to linebacker and then to defensive end.

Reddick continued to progress, appearing in 18 games and making six starts during his redshirt freshman and sophomore seasons. Last year, Reddick took a major step.

He appeared in 14 games, making 12 starts for a 10-4 Temple team that tied a single-season school record for wins. Reddick was was ninth in the AAC with 12 1/2 tackles for loss and earned honorable mention all-conference honors.

He earned something more valuable after the season - a scholarship.

The edge rusher finished his senior season with 10.5 sacks and 65 total tackles on his way to earning First Team All-AAC honors. A few months later, he was drafted by the Cardinals with the 13th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Over the last two seasons in the NFL, Reddick recorded an impressive 23.5 sacks, including 11 last season with the Panthers, where he was reunited with former Temple coach Matt Rhule.

The pass rush, an area that was expected to be a strength for the Eagles last season, actually wound up being a weakness on the defense as Philly finished with just 29 sacks, the second fewest in the NFL. That will certainly be an area head coach Nick Sirianni and defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon look to improve on in 2022. They still have to figure out the rest of the line with Derek Barnett and others set to become unrestricted free agents on Wednesday, but the Birds got off to a good start by adding Reddick.