With the anticipation that Kiko Alonso will eventually pan out in a Philadelphia Eagles uniform, the team made the cash conscious decision to release veteran linebacker DeMeco Ryans on Wednesday.
#Eagles release LB DeMeco Ryans.
Doug Pederson & Howie Roseman will address the move at 4:15 from the #NFLCombine. pic.twitter.com/VMF1HEnWvd
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) February 24, 2016
Ryans, 31, has started 53 of a possible 64 games since Philadelphia acquired him from the Houston Texans prior to the 2012 season.
The 10-year veteran has been nicked up over the past couple years, missing 10 games since the start of the 2014 campaign.
Releasing Ryans will save the Eagles $3.5 million against the 2016 cap with a $1 million dead money hit.
With Philadelphia committing to fellow linebacker Mychal Kendricks to a tune of a four-year, $29 million extension last August, it was apparent Ryans didn’t have much of a future with the team.
Now that Alonso is expected to come back healthy in 2016 after missing five games last season, this decision was made that much easier for Philadelphia.
Ryans has racked up 970 tackles, seven interceptions and seven forced fumbles in 10 NFL seasons. There should be some interest in him on the free agent market.