It’s a good thing that so many other NFL news items (like the Tim Tebow trade and the Bountygate suspensions) have taken the glare of the spotlight off the still-fresh acquisition of ILB DeMeco Ryans by the Eagles…
DeMeco Ryans was the Houston Texans’ defensive captain and, as teammate J.J. Watt said on the NFL Network Tuesday night, “far and away the most respected guy on our defense, our leader.”
Ryans was also a terrible fit in the 3-4 defense that Wade Phillips implemented last season — the Houston Chronicle‘s John McClain, who first reported Ryans’ trade to Philadelphia for a fourth-round draft pick and swap of third-rounders, pointed out that Ryans’ role was “diminished” and he was “removed every time the Texans went to their nickel defense,” a frequent occurrence in a pass-happy season.
With a $5.9 million base salary this season, Ryans’ expense outweighed his intangible qualities. But for the Eagles, he’s well worth the money.
Philadelphia badly needed a reliable tackler to anchor its 4-3 defense. The importance of having a steady hand at middle linebacker cannot be understated, especially for the Eagles, who famously used the “wide-nine” technique up front, meaning more and more offenses ran between the tackles against them.
The Eagles are betting that Ryans continues to be a leader in Philadelphia, and that he regains his pre-2010 form.
Ryans tore his Achilles six games into the 2010 season, and that recovery did not help his ’11 transition into a new defense. Before his injury, though, Ryans was one of the best young linebackers in football. He averaged 129.5 tackles over his first four seasons, including a 155-tackle effort in 2006 that earned him the Defensive Rookie of the Year award.
If Philadelphia is getting that DeMeco Ryans, this trade could go down as one of the franchise’s best.
While the Texans will still count Ryans’ prorated signing bonus from 2010 on their salary cap this year, they’ll clear what would have been about a $9 million cap hit next season. That’s key, because the Texans have a number of young players they’d like to get re-signed to long-term deals, like Brian Cushing and Duane Brown. But in the immediate future, this trade will serve as a test for the Texans. Remember, it comes on the heels of Houston cutting offensive tackle Eric Winston (who had started all 80 games over the past five seasons) and losing Mario Williams via free agency to Buffalo.
Even if the Texans can find a better fit than Ryans (Darryl Sharpton is a candidate), replace Winston and pick up on the defensive success they had last year with Williams out of the lineup, they might struggle to get over the mental and emotional hurdles all these subtractions will cause.
Houston’s loss, though, is Philadelphia’s gain, in the case of Ryans.
On top of adding a veteran voice to the Eagles’ locker room, a healthy Ryans could be the missing piece for a defense that was a disappointment in 2011. Philadelphia has been quiet thus far in free agency, but Tuesday’s trade brought in more value at linebacker than any signing could have.
This deal made sense for both sides, even if the Texans’ players and fans are struggling to see that right now. And it is, without question, a major upgrade for the Eagles … not to mention Ryans, who should find himself right at home back in a 4-3 defense.
Ryans was at best 4th or more likely 5th best LB on the Texans last year behind Cushing, Barwin, Reed, and even Sharpton. While a leader and fan favorite, you just can’t pay that kind of player the money he was getting. From the looks of it though he will likely earn that money in Philly. For a guy that was likely to get cut, I’m glad the Texans got some value for him.
A day after being traded to Philadelphia in a surprising deal with Houston, new Eagles linebacker DeMeco Ryans on Wednesday met the media, toured his new team’s complex, addressed his new city, and then attended the 76ers game. Think he likes his new town?
“I feel the passion here from the fans and the love in here from the city. I’m just excited to get started,” he said. “We have a great team here with great teammates and I’m looking to come in here, do my part, and be myself.” Ryans, a two-time Pro Bowl linebacker with the Texans, was not shy about what he hopes to do with the Eagles, and made that known in a hurry.
“I’m going to take this city,” he said, “where we want to go.” That would be — Eagles fans hope — to the Super Bowl for the first time since after the 2004 season. Before any run at a title, though, Ryan did admit — like many others — he was a bit taken aback by the deal … as well as the timing. The 27-year-old linebacker and team captain, after all, left Houston as the Texans’ all-time leader with 637 tackles. He also contributed eight sacks, six forced fumbles, eight fumble recoveries and two interceptions in his six-year career. He earned Pro Bowl honors following the 2007 and 2009 campaigns and was an Associated Press All-Pro selection in 2007.
“It was a little surprising when I first heard of the move, but at the same time, it was good because I knew I was coming to a good team,” he said. “I was excited about that because I know how good this team was in previous years and last year. I’ve gone down the road there and I knew I was coming to a good team. It was a perfect fit for me.”
The Eagles had problems at linebacker last season, and that weakness was evident in a 4-8 start. Philadelphia rallied with four consecutive wins to finish 8-8, but missed the playoffs a year after winning the NFC East.
“We were able to bring DeMeco into a good situation with his playing style,” Eagles coach Andy Reid said, “and obviously he will be a great asset to the defense. He’ll be playing middle linebacker for us.”
Ryans — who received a standing ovation at the Knicks-Sixers game during the second quarter at the Wells Fargo Center last night — was a second-round draft pick by the Texans in 2006, the same year the team took Mario Williams with the top overall pick. Ryans made the bigger initial impact of the two stars, making 156 tackles to earn the Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year honor.
He was also durable, starting all 16 games in his first four seasons. He tore his left Achilles tendon in the sixth game of 2010 and the season collapsed, with the Texans dropping eight of their final 10 games.
“I can sense that everyone has been looking for that middle linebacker, and I’m happy to be the guy that they chose to step in and be the middle linebacker of this defense,” he said. “Like I said, it’s a perfect fit for me, and it’s what I like to do. I’m just eager to get started.”
He’s not alone. “You’re talking about a really physical, instinctive linebacker. He’s in control,” Eagles general manager Howie Roseman said. “We always watch the middle linebacker in the biggest games toward the end of the season. We had the opportunity to watch him in a 4-3 defense a few years back, and saw him play against the NFC East. We felt very confident and comfortable making this trade.”
The Texans ranked second in total defense last season (285.7 yards allowed per game), finished 10-6 and earned their first division title and playoff berth.
“It was great,” Ryans said of the postseason. “Houston was a place where we were building toward a playoff run. It took us a while to get there, but once we had the core guys in place, we did what winning teams do. We practiced the way winning teams practice, and we went out about our ways the way winning teams do. You saw that come to light with us making the playoffs, and us making a run on it.”
Unless the the Texans know something the Eagles don’t know regarding his health (I’m sure he passed a physical), this is one of the more one-sided trades in the NFL in quite some time. Even at 3/4 speed, Ryans is far better than any LB the Eagles have on their roster. The Texans may be one of those teams that falls off the cliff after making their first playoff run last season…if so, they’ll look back at this trade to the Eagles and lament it.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Here are some late afternoon/early evening updates on NFL signings:
—Bears sign RB Michael Bush to a 4-year, $14 million contract….
—Jets finalize trade for Tim Tebow and a 7th from Denver in exchange for a 4th and a 6th round pick…
—Arizona re-signs OT/G D’Anthony Baptiste, terms undisclosed…
—Carolina signs G/C Mike Pollak (Colts), terms undisclosed…
—Detroit re-signs TE Will Heller, 1-year contract, further terms undisclosed…
—Detroit signs DE Everette Brown (Panthers) to a one-year deal…
—Chiefs signed ILB Jovan Belcher to a 1-year contract at $2 million…
—Patriots re-sign WR Deion Branch on a one-year deal, terms undisclosed…
—Tampa Bay released DE Tim Crowder…
—Tampa Bay released DE Nick Reed…
—Denver signed WR Andre Caldwell (Bengals) to a 2-year contract, terms undisclosed…
Add The Sports Daily to your Google News Feed!
