The Philadelphia Eagles continued their post-Chip Kelly makeover on Wednesday, releasing longtime linebacker and team leader, DeMeco Ryans.
#Eagles release LB DeMeco Ryans.
Doug Pederson & Howie Roseman will address the move at 4:15 from the #NFLCombine. pic.twitter.com/VMF1HEnWvd— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) February 24, 2016
Ryans, 31, had a $4.5 million cap figure for 2015. With the $1 million cap recapture penalty the Eagles incur for releasing him, the move clears $3.5 million in space.
Ryans was an incredibly impactful player for Philadelphia both on the field and in the locker room after being acquired via trade ahead of the 2012 season. Unfortunately, the already athletically limited Ryans has slowed further and grown increasingly injury prone. He missed 8 games in 2014 and 2 games in 2015. And when he did see the field, Ryans simply wasn't able to provide the same kind of productivity he had become known for in Philly and Houston. Last season, he managed just 49 tackles and 2 turnovers forced.
The extremely promising play of rookie linebacker Jordan Hicks when Ryans went down likely contributed to the Eagles' decision Wednesday as well. Hicks, a third-round pick out of Texas, saw his 2015 season cut short by a pectoral injury, but during his time as a starter managed 50 tackles, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble and 1 sack. With Ryans' large cap hit and diminishing skills and the rise of Hicks, the Eagles simply could no longer justify keeping Ryans at his current cap figure.
The question now becomes - can Ryans land another gig elsewhere? With Kelly in San Francisco and sorely in need of linebackers after the departures last offseason of Chris Borland and Patrick Willis, it seems to make sense. But Ryans simply isn't the player who once won Defensive Rookie of the Year and his market post-release will tell us a lot about how the rest of the league views his abilities at this point.
