The talk of the Philly Sports World on Monday afternoon was the dangerous, and potentially illegal tackle on Eagles QB Sam Bradford during Saturday’s preseason battle with the Baltimore Ravens. Almost slipping through the cracks late Monday afternoon, was the news that the Eagles had locked-up a cornerstone piece of their defense for the foreseeable future. The team announced on Monday that they had come to terms on a 4 Year, $29 Million contract extension with Mychal Kendricks, thus keeping him in Eagles green through the 2019 season.
Kendricks, a second-round pick in 2012 out of UCLA, has been a major focal point of the Eagles defense since arriving. In 42 career games (40 of which were starts), Kendricks has compiled 333 tackles (15 for loss), nine sacks, three interceptions, four forced fumbles, and four fumble recoveries. In his rookie season, Kendricks finished third on the team in tackles, with 88. The following year, the UCLA product established himself as the spark plug of the Eagles defense, tallying a career high 137 tackles, coupled with three interceptions. Last season, he missed four games. But, he was still able to finish second on the team in tackles with 108, including a career high 16 tackles vs the Seahawks.
Entering the offseason, there was a ton of whispering regarding Kendricks’ status. That whispering became full-blown speculation, when the Eagles moved LeSean McCoy to the Buffalo Bills for young phenom Kiko Alonso. Earlier this month, Chip Kelly had hoped to quiet the speculation by stating bluntly that “Mychal Kendricks is going nowhere”. Based off of Kelly’s past history, fans and insiders refused to believe those comments. So, it seemed that the Eagles had no choice but to extend Kendricks, to quiet the rumor mill.
Tags: Chip Kelly, DeMeco Ryans, Eagles news, Kendricks signs Eagles, NFL News, Philadelphia Sports News, Philly Sports, Ryan Waterman, TSP
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