Eagles sign S Chris Prosinski, place DeMeco Ryans on injured reserve

The Eagles placed inside linebacker DeMeco Ryans on injured reserve Monday, ending the season of the defensive captain after Ryans ruptured his right Achilles tendon Sunday in a 31-21 win over Houston.

The Eagles signed safety Chris Prosinski to fill Ryans' roster spot.

Ryans, 30, is one of the team's most valuable players. He made the defensive calls and was a consistent contributor in the middle of the defense. Casey Matthews and Emmanuel Acho will replace Ryans. Matthews took Ryans' duties in the fourth quarter Sunday.

"I think Casey's been really, really consistent," coach Chip Kelly said. "I think he's got a very, very, very, very good understanding of what we're doing defensively. He can set the front, can make the right calls. He's an in-the-box linebacker. Can make the tackles from tackle to tackle.

"I think he's an instinctive football player. I've been really happy with how he's played in this season particularly, especially at the linebacker spot."

Matthews and Acho split time when linebacker Mychal Kendricks missed four games. First-round pick Marcus Smith also could be in the mix.

"It's not their first time getting on the field, and they had an opportunity to get a lot of valuable snaps when Mychal was out and play alongside DeMeco," Kelly said. "And now when they play alongside Mychal, it's not their first time. So it will benefit those guys that they've had that type of experience."

Prosinski, a 2011 fourth-round pick, was waived by the Jaguars with an elbow/triceps injury in September. The 27-year-old safety is 6-foot-1 and 208 pounds and is expected to contribute on special teams and provide depth in the secondary. He had 72 tackles and one interception in parts of four seasons with Jacksonville.

The Eagles' offensive line will be bolstered by the return of left guard Evan Mathis, who is eligible to be activated from injured reserve for the game against the Carolina Panthers on Monday. Mathis has missed seven games with a knee injury.

"He's looked good for a couple of weeks here," Kelly said. "I think he's just been champing at the bit. I know he really wanted to play yesterday, but just because of how the rules are set up, he wasn't eligible to come off until this week. I think he'll be ready to play."

The Eagles have not determined what to do with right guard Todd Herremans, who played against the Texans with a torn biceps. Herremans also injured an ankle in the game. If Herremans cannot play, the Eagles will use Matt Tobin or Andrew Gardner in his spot.