Haason Reddick

Hasson Reddick is ready for this weekend's NFC Championship Game rematch against the San Francisco 49ers.

The Philadelphia Eagles linebacker bemoaned "crying" from the 49ers after they lost to the Eagles following Brock Purdy's elbow injury.

"You know, as this season's been going on, not much," Reddick told Dave Uram of KYW Newsradio. "Talk is cheap. You know, they get to come back in The Linc. It was a lot of boo hoos last year, a lot of crying, a lot of what if, a lot of this, a lot of that. They get a chance to come back in here, line that s--t up, and prove it again."

The Eagles blew out the 49ers 31-7 in the NFC Championship Game after Purdy suffered a torn UCL in his elbow and backup Josh Johnson exited with an injury. The 49ers were rendered completely unable to throw the football with Purdy subbing in for an injured Johnson as a decoy, resulting in a snoozefest at Lincoln Financial Field.

San Francisco gets a chance at revenge—albeit in the regular season—next Sunday when the 49ers travel to Philadelphia. Several 49ers players have said they felt like they would have won last season if Purdy were healthy.

"Our defense was doing what they were supposed to, and I feel like if Brock was in at quarterback and how our offense moves, I don't think it would have been close if that makes sense," 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel said in February.

"It's not sour grapes at all, it's just what I see every day. I'm not salty at all, I just speak facts."

Purdy will walk into next weekend healthy and well-rested after the 49ers played on Thanksgiving. If San Francisco fails to show up and get the job done next weekend, Reddick may be shedding some more mocking tears.

Sunday night's showdown between the Miami Dolphins and Philadelphia Eagles was billed as a potential Super Bowl preview—a battle of the NFL's most prolific offense against one the league's best defenses.

Well, the old saying is that "defense wins championships," and while it's a long way to Las Vegas and Super Bowl LVIII, in Week 7 it was the Eagles defense that won the day. And in dominating the trenches on both sides of the ball in a 31-17 win over the Dolphins, Philly sent a clear message to the rest of the NFC.

Last week's loss to the New York Jets was an aberration—and the Eagles remain the favorite to represent their conference at Allegiant Stadium in February.

The Philly defense faced quite the task on Sunday night. The Dolphins had been scoring points and chewing up yards at a historic pace. Entering Sunday's game, Miami was averaging a staggering 498.7 yards of offense per game. The Dolphins were scoring 37.2 points per contest.

Earlier in the week, linebacker Nakobe Dean acknowledged that the Dolphins are playing lights-out offensively, but he also expressed confidence that the Eagles cold hold Miami in check if they just stuck to their assignments and played to their potential.

"I have all the respect for Miami and what they are doing on offense," Dean said, via Dave Spadaro of the team's website. "They're first in the league in passing and in rushing. They lead the NFL in scoring. They have so much speed and a lot of weapons. We just have to play our game. This isn't a track meet. It's football and we know we have to follow our assignments and communicate with all the motions and things they do. It's a challenge and we have to be ready everywhere on the field. We know what we can do so let's just go out there and play hard and have fun."

While speaking to reporters this week, Eagles defensive coordinator Sean Desai echoed a similar refrain, stating that containing Miami's explosive offense was going to be a tall task, especially with a banged-up defensive backfield.

"There's a lot of things to troubleshoot," Desai said. "They're extremely fast, extremely explosive. I think Coach McDaniel does a great job, and Coach (Frank) Smith over there on offense, they do a great job, and they've got playmakers at all levels of the offense and attack all levels of our defense. So, it'll be a fun week to try and prepare for them and get our guys in position to go make some plays for us."

Those injuries included veteran cornerback Darius Slay, who sat out the Jets loss with a knee injury. Slay was questionable for Sunday's game, but per Olivia Reiner of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Slay said that in addition to getting ready to play this week he also made a point of trying to coach up the youngsters in the secondary who could be pressed into service.

"Just coaching them up and just trying to help them see it from how I see it out there on the field," Slay said. "Try to give them pointers, help them out a little bit. Anything I could possibly do. That was really what it is. Defense playing very good, man. We've just got to continue to keep building off that."

As it turns out, Slay was out there Sunday night, making a big play in the second half when he intercepted a Tua Tagovailoa pass deep in Eagles territory. But Slay was hardly alone in showing up big against the Dolphins. Whether it was Desai's scheme, Slay's tutelage or just good old fashioned talent, the Eagles played their best game of the season defensively when the team needed it the most.

Simply put, the Eagles played as well defensively as a team can reasonably be expected to against the Dolphins. Miami was averaging a league-leading 181.8 rushing yards per game over the season's first six weeks. Against the Eagles, the Dolphins had 45 yards on the ground. In the first half, the Dolphins had negative-seven rushing yards. Per Sunday night's broadcast, it was the fewest yards on the ground the 'Fins have gained in a half since 2009.

That was impressive, but not especially surprising considering Philly came into Week 7 with the best run defense in the NFL. But they also entered the week a so-so 18th in the league against the pass—a worrisome number when facing an offense that had averaged almost 317 passing yards a game.

But the Eagles stepped up against the Dolphins' passing attack almost as well as they did against the run. Tagovailoa's 216 passing yards were a season-low. After being sacked an NFL-low six times so far this season, Josh Sweat, Haason Reddick and the best defensive line in the game dropped Tagovailoa four times, including twice on the series that ended the game. Tyreek Hill caught 11 passes and scored Miami's only offensive touchdown, but he was held under 100 receiving yards.

That's right, the same offense that dropped 70 points on the Denver Broncos scored one touchdown against the Eagles—the other came on a Jerome Baker pick-six.

Now, the Eagles aren't flawless. They have a negative turnover differential, and Jalen Hurts has already thrown two more interceptions in seven games in 2023 than he did all of last season. Philly scored 31 points against the Dolphins, but it still feels like the team has yet to put together a truly complete effort offensively.

Still, while offensive fireworks are fun and all, the Eagles were propelled to the Super Bowl last year by two things—dominance in the trenches on offense and a defense that surrendered the second-fewest yards and eighth-fewest points per game in the league.

The offensive line has been as stout as ever. But the defense had been more hit-or-miss this season, especially against the pass. However, that 2022 defense showed up Sunday night in the team's biggest test of the season to date. They did something only one other team has this year—made the Miami defense look mortal. And they did an even better job of it than the Buffalo Bills.

The Philadelphia Eagles have an MVP-caliber quarterback in Hurts. An assemblage of skill-position talent as good as any in the NFL. The league's best offensive line. Add to that the smothering defense we saw Sunday, and you have the NFC's best team—and quite the possibly the best team in the NFL overall.

Sorry, San Francisco. If you want to be the best, you have to beat the best.

And the Eagles team we saw Sunday night is going to be awfully hard to beat.

The Philadelphia Eagles started out a little shaky on defense in Sunday's game against the Los Angeles Rams, but the team turned in an impressive second-half performance on its way to a 23-14 win to move to 5-0.

The Eagles held the Rams scoreless after halftime to secure the victory. Philadelphia managed to tighten things up after surrendering two 75-yard touchdown drives in the first and second quarters.

Eagles veteran linebacker Haason Reddick made his presence felt with two sacks of Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, including one with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter to help shut the door. Rookie defensive tackle Jalen Carter also recorded his first career two-sack performance.

Philadelphia's defense earned some well-deserved praise from fans online after its strong showing on Sunday:

With the Eagles defense playing lights-out, quarterback Jalen Hurts didn't have to carry the team. He finished with 303 yards, a touchdown and an interception on 25-of-38 passing. He added a team-high 72 rushing yards and another score on the ground.

Star receiver A.J. Brown had his third straight 100-yard outing with six catches for 127 yards. Tight end Dallas Goedert racked up eight receptions for 117 yards and a touchdown.

However, Philadelphia's defense was the engine behind Sunday's win. If the unit can continue performing at a high level, the Eagles will have a strong chance at making it to a second straight Super Bowl.

Philadelphia will try to move to 6-0 when it visits the New York Jets next Sunday.

Even though the Philadelphia Eagles have kept quiet about the trash talk done by several players for the San Francisco 49ers after the NFC Championship Game, they have been keeping tabs on what was said.

Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick told Rich Eisen on The Rich Eisen Show he's got their Week 13 matchup against the 49ers circled (starts at 2:30 mark): "For me it's like bring it on, y'all kept on talking, y'all talked about this all offseason, through the Super Bowl and after the playoff game."

The 49ers have almost certainly had the game circled on their schedule in the aftermath of the NFC Championship Game. Reddick was the one who made the hit on Brock Purdy in the first quarter that knocked San Francisco's quarterback out of the game with a torn UCL.

San Francisco's offense played most of the second half without a quarterback who was capable of throwing a pass. Josh Johnson, who came in for Purdy, was taken out of the game in the third quarter with a concussion.

Things spiraled out of control for the 49ers en route to a 31-7 loss that ended their season. There were tense moments during the game, including a moment when Trent Williams and K'Von Wallace were ejected late in the fourth quarter after a skirmish broke out.

49ers wide receivers Brandon Aiyuk and Deebo Samuel, as well as former kicker Robbie Gould felt like the game would have had a different result if Purdy didn't get hurt.

Aiyuk said the Eagles were "lucky" to reach the Super Bowl and questioned how good their pass defense was. Samuel told Zion Olojede of Complex the Eagles are his "most hated team" right now because of "all the trash talk" from their players and fanbase.

Gould, who is currently a free agent, said in an interview with Trey Wingo the Eagles didn't have to "play in the playoffs a full game yet, right?" leading up to the Super Bowl.

The Eagles' first playoff game was a 38-7 win over the New York Giants.

While it's probably unfair to say the 49ers would have dominated the Eagles if Purdy didn't get hurt, it almost certainly would have been a more competitive game between the two teams that were the best in the NFC going into the playoffs.

Even though a Week 13 game during the regular season won't have the same stakes as their Jan. 29 matchup, all of the talk between two teams with star-laden rosters and Super Bowl aspirations does make it one of the most compelling games on the schedule.

Philadelphia Eagles star edge-rusher Haason Reddick underwent surgery on Aug. 17 to repair a cartilage injury on his right thumb.

And while Reddick isn't sure how it will affect his play, he's confident that he'll be ready to go for Week 1 and won't be impacted too greatly by the injury.

"I feel good," he told reporters Monday. "I'm in shape physically. I've been running around since I came back from the surgery. I do feel like I'm in shape physically, conditioned. You know, it's just going to be about adapting now. It's not that big of an issue to me. It's a thumb, you know? Wrap it up, get back out there, go play ball."

A healthy and productive Reddick is key for the Eagles' Super Bowl aspirations.

He was spectacular in his first season with the team, registering 16 sacks, 11 tackles for loss, 26 quarterback hits, five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries. That led to his first Pro Bowl bid and helped lead the Eagles to the Super Bowl behind an NFL-leading 70 sacks as a team during the regular season.

And Reddick is keen for an encore, injury and all.

"I'm just taking it one day at a time," he said. "I ain't down about it, not sad about it. What happened happened. I'm going to adapt, move forward and go out there and still try to put my best ball on tape."

Philadelphia Eagles star Haason Reddick is set to undergo thumb surgery that's not expected to impact his availability for Week 1 of the regular season.

Per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, Reddick is having the procedure to address an injury he suffered in Monday's practice.

It's unclear exactly what happened to Reddick's thumb, but EJ Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer noted after Monday's practice it didn't seem like a serious injury.

While the injury isn't what anyone would like to see, Reddick's absence for the rest of the preseason could end up benefiting the Eagles. He didn't play in their preseason opener against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday.

This allowed Nolan Smith, the No. 30 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, to see extended playing time. He was on the field for a total of 38 snaps between the defense (24) and special teams (14).

Smith didn't register a tackle on defense, but he did get one quarterback hit on Josh Johnson. The Georgia alum has been compared to Reddick because they are undersized edge-rushers, so having him fill the void for the final two weeks of the preseason shouldn't be difficult.

The strength of Philadelphia's defense is the pass-rush unit. That group had 70 sacks last season, tied with the 1987 Chicago Bears for the third-most in a season in NFL history.

As long as Reddick is ready for the start of the season, the Eagles will be fine. The 28-year-old had a breakout 2022, setting career-highs in quarterback hits (26) and sacks (16). He finished fourth in Defensive Player of the Year voting and was named to the All-Pro second team.

The Eagles open the regular season against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on Sept. 10 at 4:25 p.m. ET.

The Philadelphia Eagles reportedly will have one of their best defensive players available for their Week 1 matchup against the New England Patriots despite a thumb injury.

According to EJ Smith of the Philadelphia Inquirer, linebacker Haason Reddick suffered a thumb injury that is not seen as "serious" and is not expected to keep him sidelined for the Week 1 game.

This isn't the first issue for Reddick during preparation for the season, as Glenn Erby of USA Today's Eagles Wire noted he dealt with a groin injury at the start of training camp.

His expected availability for the start of the season is welcome news for the Eagles, as their front seven figures to be among the league's best in large part because of his presence. Philadelphia signed him ahead of the 2022 campaign, and he turned in a career year as a first-time Pro Bowler.

Reddick finished the season with 49 tackles, 16 sacks, a league-best five forced fumbles, three fumble recoveries and three passes defended.

He was particularly dominant in the NFC Championship Game victory over the San Francisco 49ers with two sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.

The Eagles have two preseason games and close to a month remaining until the regular season starts, so they have time to rest Reddick in an effort to make sure he is ready to go when the games begin to count in the standings.

That should give rookie Nolan Smith more opportunities at different positions during practices and the upcoming preseason contests, which will help the first-round pick from Georgia see the field earlier in his career.

The Philadelphia Eagles have an incredibly deep group of edge-rushers, and one of them agreed to a restructured contract on Thursday.

According to ESPN's Field Yates, defensive end Derek Barnett reworked his 2023 salary:

In essence, the Eagles gave Barnett more guaranteed money in exchange for a smaller cap hit and about $2.5 million less in total possible earnings. It's unclear how, or if, executive vice president and general manager Howie Roseman has designs for the added cap space.

The 27-year-old was Philly's first-round pick in 2017 but has struggled to live up to that billing, never registering more than 6.5 sacks in a season. A season-ending surgery cost Barnett essentially the entire season in 2022.

Now back healthy, he'll be fighting for playing time among a loaded group of edge-rushers that includes Haason Reddick, Josh Sweat, Brandon Graham and rookie Nolan Smith.

Before his restructure, his place on the final 53-man roster may not have been fully secure. Now it feels more likely he'll definitely be sticking around in Philly for at least one more season.

But he has plenty to prove. Teammate Darius Slay, at least, is a believer:

For the Eagles, the depth on the defensive line is one of the biggest strengths they'll carry into the season.

Fletcher Cox remains a difference-maker at defensive tackle, and rookie Jalen Carter has the potential to be one as well. Second-year defensive tackle Jordan Davis showed flashes as a rookie and came into training camp looking good, while Graham could be utilized as an interior rusher on obvious passing downs, as he has been in the past.

Losing Javon Hargrave to the San Francisco 49ers in free agency wasn't ideal, but the Eagles pivoted behind a strong draft that included Carter and Smith.

The Eagles easily led the NFL in sacks last season with 70. If Carter, Smith and the returning Barnett can combine for Hargrave's 11 from last year, this defensive line could again be the most productive in football.