Vinny Curry was second on the team with nine sacks last season despite playing just 32 percent of the team's snaps.
The Eagles want to get Curry on the field more this season and may have found a way to do so by giving him some work at outside linebacker as well as along the defensive line.
"We're trying to find better ways for me to help the team out and that's getting to the quarterback," Curry said. "I'm a team player and I'm willing to learn anything. It shows how much I'm willing to do to help the team out and be a part of the guys."
Curry was a second-round pick of the Eagles in 2012. A pass rush force off the edge at Marshall, Curry was the Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year after recording 11 sacks as a senior. However, Curry only saw action in six games as a rookie and didn't register a sack. Further complicating matters, the Eagles transitioned from a 4-3 to a 3-4 front prior to Curry's second season. Curry took the challenge of adapting to a two-gap style of line play head on. He gained nearly 20 pounds and the work paid off as he notched four sacks while carving out a role in the defense.
"I finally felt like I was over the hump and I could get back to being Vinny Curry, just having fun with football and getting to the quarterback and dancing and doing what I do and smiling and everything's just finally coming together in the way I dreamed of it coming together," Curry said of the 2013 season.
Last offseason, Curry quit red meat and dairy. He's 280 pounds now and claims to not only be faster because of his diet and training, but is also wiser with his three years of NFL experience. He was utilized by the Eagles on the outside in certain packages last season and, according to Curry, it led to a majority of his sacks.
"Vinny's doing a helluva job," head coach Chip Kelly said. "He's playing a little bit of outside, a little bit inside. I think he's expanded his role in terms of where we can deploy him."
Last season, Curry started keeping an eye on players like Connor Barwin and Brandon Graham, both of whom converted from hands-down linemen to stand-up linebackers. Curry will keep an open mind for the betterment of the team. Just don't expect him to be covering receivers one-on-one down the field.
- BIO: View Vinny Curry's Bio
- PODCAST: Curry On The Eagles Insider Podcast
- WATCH: Curry Demolishes Rams QB Austin Davis
- READ: Fan-Demonium: Chip The Builder
