Yesterday, when the Philadelphia Eagles traded running back LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills for linebacker Kiko Alonso, many fans wondered if that made inside linebacker DeMeco Ryans expendable.
Tonight on NFL Total Access, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported that Ryans is expected to be back with the Eagles this upcoming season. Ryans is coming off of Achilles surgery, as he suffered the injury last season against the Houston Texans.
Ryans is 30-years-old and has one year left on his six-year, $48 million contract. If the Eagles did decide to release Ryans, they would save $6.9 million towards the salary cap.
Last season, with the Eagles, he finished with 36 tackles, four pass deflections, an interception and fumble recovery. In three years with the Eagles, Ryans has 224 tackles, 16 pass deflections, five sacks, four interceptions and a fumble recovery.
This is good news for Eagles fans everywhere as Ryans is one of the leaders on the defense along with safety Malcolm Jenkins. When he went down with a torn Achilles and found out that his season was over, Eagles head coach Chip Kelly compared him to Mufasa from the Lion King.
But if Ryans wants to stay this season, he might have to restructure his salary adds Rapoport. With Ryans still in the fold, the Eagles starting linebacker core looks much more dangerous heading into next season.
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
