Philadelphia Eagles cut linebacker DeMeco Ryans

The Philadelphia Eagles have reportedly decided to part ways with their middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans, who had spent the last four seasons with the Eagles.

According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, the Philadelphia Eagles have cut former middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans Tuesday afternoon. The Eagles will only him a reported $3.5 million in salary.

Ryans spent four of his 10 NFL seasons playing inside linebacker for the Eagles. He was a two-time Pro Bowler playing for the Houston Texans in 2007 and in 2009. Between those two organizations, the former Alabama Crimson Tide middle linebacker played in 140 NFL games, starting in a staggering 139 of them.

He will turn 32 before the start of the 2016 NFL season, so that could be a reason behind the Eagles deciding to part ways with their starting middle linebacker. Ryans could provide value to a team that needs veteran leadership in the defensive front seven.

Throughout his 10-year NFL career, Ryans has proven that he can make plays on the football in several different ways. He has 13.5 career sacks, seven career interceptions, and seven forced fumbles. Ryans has started all 16 games in a regular season seven times in his professional career with the Texans and the Eagles.

Ryans still probably has a few more years left in the tank if he chooses to play for a third team in 2016. He’s averaged 14.0 games played in his 10 years in the NFL, so he clearly has the longevity to extend his NFL career to a dozen years and maybe a little beyond that.

There a certainly teams that could use him in 2016 to provide leadership and possibly start at inside linebacker. He won’t command the pay day he’s received in the past. This is the first time he has been cut from an NFL team, as Ryans was traded from the Texans to Eagles during the 2012 NFL Draft.