Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks isn't sure where he's going to be come the 2015 regular season, but he's sure that wherever he is, he'll be making plays.
"In this league you've got to know your worth, and I think that I can play anywhere," the young stud backer said Tuesday after the latest Philadelphia OTA session, per Tim McManus of Philly Mag.
Kendricks, 24, became a starter immediately after being selected by the Eagles in the second-round of the 2012 NFL Draft. Unfortunately for the playmaking linebacker, 2012 was also the final year for Andy Reid.
With Chip Kelly now leading the Eagles and having assumed full personnel control this offseason, many Reid leftovers have already been jettisoned. Kendricks has survived to this point, but it hasn't come without a whole heap of talk to the contrary.
"I didn't know what to think,'' Kendricks said, referencing the trade rumors which swirled around him prior to the draft, via Mark Eckel of NJ.com. "I didn't know what it was. I guess it was what it was. In this league we're all renting space. It's a business. And you have to admire that and respect that.
"Hypothetically speaking, if I were to get traded the next team must want me. If you can play, you can play, and if you can play they will pay. There's no hard feelings either way.''
Kendricks was rumored to be part of a package - along with Fletcher Cox, Brandon Boykin, Evan Mathis and picks - the Eagles and Kelly offered to the Tennessee Titans in order to move up in the first-round in order to nab former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. There was also a report that the team was shopping him for a second-round pick and that Kelly had become "frustrated" with Kendricks due to his difficulty returning to the field after suffering a hamstring strain last season.
No trade was consummated and Kendricks remains on the roster - for now.
When asked if he expects that to extend into the regular season, Kendricks only shrugged.
"I don't know,'' Kendricks said. "I don't know. I think so.''
With Kiko Alonso brought into the fold via the LeSean McCoy trade, DeMeco Ryans signed to a one-year extension and Jordan Hicks drafted in the third-round, the Eagles suddenly have a crowded field at inside linebacker and only two starting spots to go around.
Kendricks, who ran with the first team alongside Alonso on Tuesday, per Eckel, is also entering the final year of his rookie deal and indicated there has been little movement on that front to this point.
"There's been no talk of an extension,'' Kendricks said. "I can't control whatever happens here. I like Philly. I'd like to finish where I started. I like it out here. But again whatever happens, happens.''
It's likely, considering all of the admittedly circumstantial evidence, that the rumors of Kelly and defensive coordinator Bill Davis' view that Kendricks is an imperfect fit in their scheme and/or culture, are accurate, but there seems little sense in jettisoning a playmaker without receiving commensurate value.
If another team suffers an injury in training camp and comes calling, you can bet Kelly and Davis will answer the phone.
If that doesn't happen, they'll likely be just as content to enter the year with an overabundance of talent at one of the most important positions on their defensive unit.
