Philadelphia Eagles: Haason Reddick should wear number 7

It’s closing in on two weeks since Haason Reddick chose the Philadelphia Eagles as the next step in his NFL journey, and goodness gracious has the hype remained very high.

Mind you, part of it might just be because he was the only big-name free agent to choose to take his talents to the City of Brotherly Love, as to this point, Zach Pascal remains the only other external free agent to sign with the Eagles, but hey, one is better than none, as fans of the Washington Commanders will tell you.

Since returning home, Reddick has talked at Temple, playfully interacted with his new teammates, and even went back to Camden to talk with the Mayor and County Commissioner, but one thing the Pride of Camden hasn’t done, at least not yet, is choose a number, a decision he took to Twitter to help crowdsource.

Though the poll was informal, the general consensus is 7, and frankly, that’s a darn good number for a defensive playmaker who will lineup all over the defense.

Fans might get to add another single-digit number to their Philadelphia Eagles jersey collection.

At Temple, you don’t just choose to wear a single-digit jersey. No, at least during the Matt Rhule era, numbers 1-9 were earned and handed out to the “tuffest” dudes on the roster.

For Haason Reddick, the player who basically personified that era of football on Broad Street, the number 7 came during his redshirt senior season and remained with him until he was drafted by the Arizona Cardinals 13th overall, or one pick before Derek Barnett became a member of the Philadelphia Eagles.

Unfortunately for Reddick, non-quarterbacks/kickers/punters weren’t allowed to wear single digits in 2017, so he was forced to pick a new number when he turned in his Temple red and white for Cardinals red and… white. Considering the numerical restrains on the linebacker position, Reddick chose to break down his college number into its parts, 4 3, which, in my opinion, is much better than 52.

43 followed Reddick from Arizona to Carolina and theoretically could still end up being his number again in Philadelphia if he so chooses to follow in the footsteps of Darren Sproles, but with single-digit numbers now eligible for any player regardless of position, why not embrace his collegiate number and start rushing the quarterback with a single-digit number on his back once more?

Sorry Reid Sinnett and Sam Bradford/Joe Flacco before him, but 7 will just look better on a speedy playmaker who spends a bunch of time in the offensive backfield.

For the longest time, the NFL put restrictions on which numbers each position grouping could wear to make life easier on the officials, the broadcasters, and the fans watching at home. In 2021, they realized that that was sort of unnecessary and one of the most fun aspects of the college game made its way to the game’s highest level. With Hasson Reddick back in the town that made him a first-round pick, why not re-embrace that Temple Tuffness as he’s deployed all over the defensive front fishing for mismatches?