By Sandra Miller
If you had any doubt about Eagles Supreme Leader Chip Kelly’s commitment to linebacker DeMeco Ryans, think again.
There may be questions about how effective Ryans will be upon his return from the torn Achilles that ruined his 2014 season, but there’s no doubt that the Eagles want to keep him around.
The Eagles haven’t wavered from their public statements that they want to hold onto the veteran inside linebacker and they went a bit further on Monday by announcing a contract extension that extends Ryans’s pact with the team through the 2016 season.
No financial terms were part of the announcement, but Jeff McLane of the Inquirer reports that the deal is designed to give the team more cap space this season by lowering Ryans’ salary from the $6.9 million he was set to receive.
Ryans joins Kiko Alonso as inside linebackers in Philly recovering from season-ending injuries. If both are healthy in time for the season, the team will have a bit of a logjam at the position with Mychal Kendricks, Emmanuel Acho, Najee Goodeand new addition Brad Jones also on hand. Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com suggested recently that Kendricks could be a trade chip with the draft approaching, although there’s been no sign that a deal is something the team is actively pursuing.
Ryans had 45 tackles and an interception in eight starts for the Eagles in 2014 and had started every game of the previous three seasons for Philadelphia and Houston.
