Eagles edge rusher Haason Reddick can ‘really be free’ after shedding the cast on his thumb
Reddick is still seeking his first sack but sees the removal of the cast as a confidence booster. He underwent thumb surgery in August.
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When edge rusher Haason Reddick took the NovaCare Complex field for practice on Thursday, he was missing a piece of equipment that he had been sporting for the past month — his thumb cast.
Reddick, who underwent surgery to repair a ligament in his right thumb in August, shed the cast for the first time and will not need it going forward. He wore the protective covering in the Eagles’ first three games.
Reddick said that he has done his best to stay positive as he looks for his first sack of the season and that the increased flexibility in his hand will only help his play from here, starting Sunday against the Washington Commanders.
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“Getting out of the cast was a big thing for me,” Reddick said. “A hell of a momentum and confidence booster, especially after going out there today and practicing. I’m not making any excuses, just now I can go out there and really be free.”
After practice, Reddick said that he underestimated the restrictive nature of the cast and that he couldn’t grab with his hand as much as he would have liked. But he was able to avoid a setback, allowing him to get rid of the cast ahead of the Eagles’ return to the Linc this weekend.
Reddick said he did not feel any pain in practice as he got used to his right hand being uncovered again.
This year, Reddick is finding himself in a similar situation to the one he navigated at the start of last season.
He didn’t have a sack in his first two games in 2022, but in Week 3 against the Commanders, Reddick recorded 1½ sacks. The following game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he picked up two more. The next week, Reddick notched another sack.
He finished the season with 16 sacks, which ranked second in the league behind San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa (18½). Reddick said that his “crazy” performance last season has led to the double teams and chip blocks he’s facing now.
“They’re doing a lot of things in general just to try to keep our edges — not just me, our edges in general — away from the QB, which is expected,” Reddick said. “It’s frustrating at times, but I totally understand it. It’s a respect thing, which, you know, hey, you asked for it. You want the respect, bro, they’re showing it.”
Last season taught him that sacks come in bunches and that the key to success is staying patient and persistent. Right now, the Eagles’ defensive tackles are breaking through (4½ sacks total), and Reddick said it’s only a matter of time before he gets his moment on the edge.
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Additionally, the underlying stats suggest that Reddick is still making an impact, even if he isn’t getting home.
According to Pro Football Focus, Reddick has eight pressures (one hit, seven hurries) for a 14.4% win rate. Through three weeks last season by PFF’s measurements, Reddick registered seven pressures (two sacks, one hit, four hurries) for a 10.3% win rate.
“Our DTs, they’re making a lot of plays inside,” Reddick said. “So you’ll start seeing it switch back and forth.
“Edges will make plays, DTs will make plays because we have a front where you can’t account for everybody the whole time. You can’t double-team or chip somebody the whole game. You’ll have to give somebody one-on-ones eventually, and that’ll cause a lot of opportunities for us.”
On Sunday, Reddick will line up with the objective of disrupting Commanders quarterback Sam Howell, who has been sacked a league-high 19 times.
Reddick said he respects Howell’s game and his ability to extend plays but pointed to opponents’ pass rush and coverage as factors, indicating that the sacks aren’t on Howell alone.
Regardless of the goose egg sitting in Reddick’s sack column through three games, he’s maintaining an optimistic outlook going into this weekend.
“I’m big on vibes and energy,” Reddick said. “So I try to make sure that the negative energy doesn’t creep in, because you know how that goes. Once things start turning negative, your whole aura, everything could go downhill fast.”
With the cast out of the picture, Reddick has one less deterrent standing between him and the quarterback.