Earlier this week, I had the opportunity to sit down with Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro linebacker Haason Reddick about the upcoming 2023 regular season, his partnership with Campbell's Chunky and what he's most looking forward to after a career year last season.
Reddick, who finished the 2023 season with 16.0 sacks and five forced fumbles, became the first player in NFL history to record double-digit sacks in three straight seasons with three different teams last season. Reddick accomplished the feat with the Arizona Cardinals, Carolina Panthers and Eagles.
"The guys that we have on the team – the guys that we have on defense – we get to push each other," Reddick said of what allowed him to thrive in his first season in Philly. "You talking about maybe one of the best D-lines in football going against one of – if not the best – O-line in football.
"We get to go against the best every day."
The Eagles made the Super Bowl in the 2022 season, a special experience for Reddick since it was his first time in the postseason. Plus, he got to play in the Super Bowl for his hometown team.
"That was the first time in my career being in the playoffs," Reddick said. "To be able – my first time seeing any postseason action – to be able to go to a Super Bowl, man, it was crazy.
"It was back in Arizona where I started my career at, and here I am. I'm here with my hometown team – a team I grew up watching and loved to see on Sunday's. It was a full circle moment for myself."
While Philly didn't end up winning the Super Bowl, the No. 2 in the latest odds to win the Super Bowl this season.
If the Eagles want to get back to the Super Bowl, they'll certainly rely on Reddick a lot to do so. The star linebacker suffered a thumb injury this offseason and had to have surgery, but he told me that he's not expected to miss any time. That's a great sign for the Eagles in Week 1.
"Man, everything is good," Reddick said about his recovery. "This is the sport, right? I call it the gladiator sport because this is the type of things that happen. Fortunately enough for myself, it wasn't something that I'll have to miss time for. Just been going through therapy, making sure to get this thing back moving so when Week 1 come, we can hit the ground running."
Haason Reddick's partnership with Campbell's Chunky
Reddick is one of several players teaming up with Campbell's Chunky is to encourage fans to help sack food insecurity this upcoming season and donate more than two million meals.
For every Chunky Bowl sold during the regular NFL season, Chunky Sacks Hunger will donate one meal to Feeding America.
Reddick has been collaborating with Campbell's for quite some time, as they are actually headquartered in his hometown of Camden, New Jersey. They worked together on a Christmas giveaway last year, and now he's a part of their Chunky Sacks Hunger campaign.
"We've just been working together trying to make the community a better place," Reddick said. "And that's how the partnership started. Now, I'm here a part of the Chunky's brand partnering with them. Trying to give back and feed the Americans that don't have."
You can learn more Chunky Sacks Hunger on their website here.
Haason Reddick's expectations and goals for the 2023 season
Reddick will likely be in the conversation to win the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award if he has a season like he did in 2022, but the Eagles linebacker isn't necessarily focused on chasing any personal awards in 2023.
"Just to be better than I was last year," Reddick said of his personal goals for 2023. "I know that last year I had an amazing year. There's no way around that. It's going to be hard to duplicate it – what I did last year. But I'm a man that believes in progress – steady progress at that, right? Continuing to be better. Continuing to get better. So as hard as it was, that's the goal for this year. However I can just be better than I was last year – be a bigger impact for the team."
The Eagles have a lethal front seven, which makes them one of the most-feared defenses in the NFL. If Reddick finds a way to have a bigger season than he did in 2022, his odds to win Defensive Player of the Year are going to skyrocket.
Which Eagles player will break out in the 2023 season?
I also asked Reddick about his teammates and who he thinks could break out in 2023. He has one defensive player in mind that will make Eagles fans very excited.
"Everybody's been talking about him, but Jalen Carter is one of the guys," Reddick said.
Carter was a first-round pick in the 2023 NFL Draft after being named an All-American during his time at Georgia.
"I do think [Jalen Carter] will have a big year," Reddick said. "He's just – he's been electric, man. Better than I thought he was. I'm glad to have him and I'm glad that we drafted him here because I know he's going to be a big help, especially with having [Javon] Hargrave that went away."
Carter could replace Hargrave on the Eagles' defensive line, and Philly was fortunate that he fell to the team in the draft. Carter dropped because of legal trouble, but so far he seems to be on the right path in camp leading up to the 2023 season.
Haason Reddick reveals games he's most looking forward to in 2023
Reddick also shared that he's looking forward to facing two opponents in particular in the 2023 season:
The Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers.
The 49ers game may be a little chippy, especially since the two teams played in the NFC title game last season.
"There was a lot of chirping back and forth after that game, through the Super Bowl, through the offseason, all the way up to training camp," Reddick said. "A lot of chirping back and forth. You gotta love the competition in the sport. Looking forward to playing them again as well."
The Eagles and Reddick open the 2023 season on the road on Sunday, Sept. 10 against the New England Patriots.
Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.
