Linebacker Hassan Reddick arrived at the NovaCare Complex on Thursday morning, toured the facility, met with his new coaches and teammates, and was introduced to the media. He did NOT reveal what number he will wear in Philadelphia, but offered insight into several other topics listed below.
1. The Camden, New Jersey, native and former Temple Owl reacted to coming home.
"It's exciting to be home. When I realized that I would be coming here, I was overwhelmed with emotion to be closer to my family and to be able to play back in a stadium where I spent my whole college career in front of the fans who watched me grow as a player. It's a wonderful thing. It's a beautiful thing for me. I'm just thankful for the opportunity. ... I don't think this story could have been written any better.
2. Reddick was asked about his role in Defensive Coordinator Jonathan Gannon's defense.
"I'm a versatile player. We'll get to the X's and O's once we get to OTAs, Training Camp, and installation. ... At the end of the day, I'm a football player. Just get me on the field and let me go play football."
3. Back in 2017, when Reddick was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals with the 13th overall selection, he wondered what it might have been like to be selected by the Eagles who had the 14th pick. Remember that the draft was in Philadelphia that year.
"It was crazy to see how close I was to being home, especially with the draft being in Philly that year. That's why I made the comment earlier that I don't think the story could have been written any better – to play in Philadelphia, 15 minutes away from home, right across the bridge, to be able to get drafted here in Philadelphia, but I missed the Eagles by one pick. To have this thing come full circle and now have the chance to back and play here, get back in the Linc, is wonderful."
4. Reddick's new teammates are happy he's on their side.
"I talked to Jordan (Mailata) today. I talked to Slay today. I talked to (Jason) Kelce as well, just talking to them about the opportunity to come here and get ready to ball out. BG (Brandon Graham) reached out to me on Twitter. The Gravedigger (Javon Hargrave), I like that nickname, so I'm going to call him that. He reached out to me on Twitter as well. Slay, before I had talked to him, he reached out to me as well. It was crazy to see those guys wanted me to come here and be a part of what they're already a part of.
"(Jalen) Hurts also, he got my number and congratulated me and told me how thankful he was that I was finally on his team and not having to play against him anymore. ... That lets you know that you're doing big things and your game speaks for itself."
5. Reddick's career changed when he got to rush the passer more in his fourth NFL season. He's had 23.5 sacks over the past two years with Arizona and Carolina, proving he's scheme-diverse.
"I had done it well in college. Spending three, four years in college working on rushing the passer is just something that is natural to me. And basically, that was it. Got to go back to a position I was asked to do things I was more comfortable with and it made it that much better for me."
6. At 6-foot-1, 235 pounds, Reddick isn't the size of most edge rushers, but ...
"I'm faster than traditional edge rushers. At the end of the day, I have an underdog mentality. I'm a hard worker and at the end of the day, size doesn't matter to me. You line them up in front of me and I'm going to do the best I can to beat them."
