PHOENIX — Haason Reddick is built like a running back, packs the punch of a heavyweight and gets after the quarterback as well as any Philadelphia Eagles pass rusher ever not named Reggie White.
Reddick played like All-Pro in his first season with the Eagles — leading the team with 16 sacks — and was basically unblockable in the NFC Championship Game.
In Super Bowl 57 on Sunday, he faces the most important assignment of his career. It won’t be enough to simply get to Patrick Mahomes, the Kansas City Chiefs‘ MVP quarterback. He also needs to get him to the ground.
Andy Reid on Thursday identified Reddick and the Eagles’ defensive front vs. the star-studded Chiefs offensive line as the key matchup in Super Bowl 57. And after reviewing the tape of every Reddick sack from the 2022 regular season, we agree. His combination of speed and power had made him one of the most dangerous pass-rushers in the world.
Haason Reddick Is Really, Really Good
Reddick might be, pound-for-pound, the most powerful defensive lineman on an Eagles line filled with brawlers.
He’s just 6-1, 240 pounds. The Arizona Cardinals drafted him to be an off-ball linebacker. He really didn’t start rushing the quarterback until his fourth year. But on an Eagles defense that values depth and position flexibility, Reddick has truly come into his own.
The film shows he can play inside and out. He can win with power and speed — but often both.
He told PFN here on Thursday that he doesn’t have a favorite pass-rush move, but his tape begs to differ. While had certainly had some success with stunts and spins, the vast majority of his sacks this year came on plays that he bulled rushed the tackle or at least shoved the opposing blocker off-balance enough to create an opening that his speed and bend could exploit.
“I think I’ve always had it but I just never really utilized it,” said Reddick, who ran a 4.51-second 40 and did 24 bench press reps at the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine. “You know, it wasn’t part of my game before. But, before this year started, I watched all of my rushes from last year. I was just looking for ways I could open up my game a little bit more, open up my toolbox a little bit more. Putting a power rush in there a little bit more consistently, I felt like that could open up my game, which it has.”
Consider his game fully opened. Reddick absolutely terrorized the San Francisco 49ers two weeks ago, and the second of his two sacks knocked starting quarterback Brock Purdy from the game.
He stripped Purdy on that play, an area of his game that he’s worked hard to improve. Reddick’s five forced fumbles during the 2022 regular season led the NFL.
“I think the biggest thing is that as a unit, we play a certain way,” said Eagles defensive line coach Tracy Walker. “We play physical styles, but the one thing we do believe in, on offense and defense, is being physical. We practice that way. And I think that’s where the improvement has come from with him. And it’s not that he wasn’t a great pass rusher.
“But then you also have to factor in, you have Fletcher Cox next to you. The next time, you may have the Jevon Hargrave next to you, or you may be on the same side as Josh Sweat. It’s all about matchups. And you’re sitting there like ‘Oh, my goodness. How aer we going to handle that from here?. That’s the uniqueness of moving the picture pieces around.”
That collection of talent has infused Haason with the confidence to take his game from good to great. So now that we’ve established that he deserves to be considered an elite player, it’s time to ask why he isn’t paid like one. Reddick signed a three-year, $45 million free agent contract with the Eagles this offseason; 15 other edge defenders rank higher in yearly average.
And the Eagles have his rights on that value contract for another two years. That’s a huge deal, considering Cox, Hargrave, Robert Quinn, Brandon Graham, Ndamukong Suh, and Linval Joseph all are on expiring contracts.
“I think he helped us a lot,” Hargrave said. “He just got so much better.”