Haason Reddick will be looking at several teams as potential landing spots when NFL free agency officially opens on Wednesday at 4 PM ET. The hybrid linebacker, who spent four years with the Arizona Cardinals and, most recently, the Carolina Panthers, can bring a lot to a defense in need of speed and power. With that in mind, what are our predictions and landing spots for the five-year veteran?
Update: Haason Reddick is expected to sign a three-year deal with the Philadelphia Eagles
Predictions and landing spots for free agent Haason Reddick
Reddick is a scheme-versatile linebacker who teams could use on the outside in a 3-4 scheme or someone who can be moved around at will in a 4-3 front. A longtime NFL scout told Pro Football Network several weeks ago that he thinks Reddick’s landing spot will be somewhere that is based on scheme fit and how teams are going to use him.
Reddick has made $19.64 million since entering the league as a first-round pick of the Cardinals in 2017. He made $6 million in his lone season with the Panthers. With two consecutive outstanding years under his belt, Reddick is likely to cash in this offseason. Spotrac lists Reddick’s annual market value at $15.3 million, which would put him in the top 20 yearly salaries of outside linebackers.
Reddick is PFN’s 29th-ranked overall free agent and sixth overall at the EDGE position. What are some realistic free agency predictions for the 2017 first-round pick?
Chicago Bears
With new head coach Matt Eberflus in town, it remains to be seen whether Chicago will switch to a 4-3 defense from the 3-4 they ran under former coach Matt Nagy. However, based on history, it’s a likely bet that Eberflus begins the transition to a 4-3 this season as he oversaw that type of change in both Dallas and Indianapolis.
Moving to a 4-3 will allow for more athleticism and speed to be on the field. Eberflus stated as such in an interview posted on the Colts website in 2018.
“Really, the major shift is that we want athletic, speed players that possess quickness, instincts, and striking ability,” he said. “And you should see that on the field. So you’re going to see more speed, more quickness, more athletic ability. And those are the guys that we’re going to want to acquire through the draft, through free agency, and those will be the type of players that we have on our team. So that’s the major shift that you’ll see.”
Reddick fits that bill almost to a T. Pair him alongside Roquan Smith and Danny Trevathan, and you’re going to have a linebacker unit that will keep opposing offensive coordinators up late at night.
Philadelphia Eagles
A graduate of Temple University, Reddick would be coming back to his football roots if he were to be signed by the Eagles in free agency.
Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon likes versatile players who can fill a variety of roles, and Reddick would fall into that category based on his experience as both a linebacker and edge rusher. In 2021, Reddick played 852 snaps, with more than half of them rushing the passer and the rest divided between him defending the run and dropping into coverage.
Philly’s defense had only 29 sacks during the 2021 season, which was the second-worst in the NFL. They are in desperate need of a pass rusher and someone who can be an upgrade over others on the defense, such as LB Genard Avery, who isn’t as versatile as Reddick.
Pair him with Josh Sweat and Brandon Graham to create mismatches, and the Eagles’ defense will instantly become better as soon as the ink dries on the contract. With Reddick’s estimated market value of $15.3 million per year, Philadelphia shouldn’t have much of an issue getting him to fit within the salary cap.
Miami Dolphins
As of March 14, the Dolphins have an estimated $48 million in cap space, and the Dolphins will likely be in the market for help in the trenches on both sides of the ball.
And while they might have a new coaching staff in place, they have retained most of the defensive staff, including coordinator Josh Boyer. That bodes well for a free agent like Reddick, especially in a defensive system that emphasizes a rushing linebacker.
Pairing Reddick with second-year player Jaelan Phillips would create a dynamic combination that would strike fear into the hearts of opposing quarterbacks.
Los Angeles Chargers
Ok, hear us out, and let’s brainstorm a creative defensive scheme where a team uses Reddick as the ultimate chess piece. The Chargers just traded for Khalil Mack to pair opposite Joey Bosa. Uchenna Nwosu is a free agent with no guarantee that he will return, especially now that Mack is in town.
We know that head coach Brandon Staley leans toward a 3-4 defense. However, he does not stick to one firm identity. Rather, he puts players in a position to succeed. So, why not put Reddick alongside them and let him roam from sideline to sideline while they clean up the mess on the line of scrimmage?
Add in Derwin James (when healthy), and you have a defense that will be able to go toe-to-toe with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Denver Broncos, and other high-powered offenses around the NFL.
As of publish time, the Chargers have an estimated $22.5 million in cap space, according to Spotrac.
