Ryan Kerrigan explains how Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox helped recruit him to Philly

The Eagles recently signed veteran Ryan Kerrigan, and the defensive end spoke to reporters about his role in Philly, how Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox helped recruit him, and also why he’s excited about the energy from this new coaching staff. Kerrigan also confirmed that he’ll be wearing No. 90 — notably since No. 91 is Cox’s and he knew that wasn’t going to be an option.

Here’ what he had to say:

On why he chose to sign with the Eagles

Despite having interest from several other teams, Kerrigan said that he had a really good visit with the Eagles, and the energy in the building was so positive and good it was really intriguing. The defender also said that after watching some film with the coaching staff, he felt like they were going to put the guys in a good position to succeed defensively.

Asked about Gannon again later on, Kerrigan noted that similar to Sirianni, they both have outstanding energy which will transcend the meeting rooms onto the practice field. The DE also admitted he’s excited to play with Brandon Graham and Fletcher Cox and they both reached out — which meant a lot to him because he really respects their game — and were factors in why Kerrigan chose to sign with the Eagles.

Kerrigan said that he’s really excited for the opportunity to mentor some of the younger guys in the Eagles locker room, and he’s been fortunate to have been in the league for a long time, and is eager to pass on from the mental side of the game.

On his role in Philadelphia

“I just want to be someone that comes on the field and make plays, whether that’s in run game, pass game, or whether it’s dropping out, whatever it is, I just want to be able to make plays for the defense.”

Kerrigan noted that he doesn’t have a target number of reps or snaps, and that he just wants to be impactful whenever he’s on the field.

Earlier in the week Eagles’ defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon talked about the importance of putting pressure on QBs, and Kerrigan was asked what he can do pre-snap to put that pressure on signal-callers. The DE noted that with the defense in Philly and how they plan to do things, it will allow them to be pretty multiple upfront and allow some diversity to get an edge mentally pre-snap.

Other notables

• Kerrigan talked a little about how Lane Johnson is one of the best right tackle’s in the league, and every year when the schedule came out, he’d pay attention to when the two games against the Eagles were. He’s excited to get to go against Johnson in practice every day — much more excited than having to go against the RT in a game.
• Even when he played for Washington and their buses were met with words and gestures from Eagles’ fans, Kerrigan said he always appreciated it because that just meant the fans care about their team and the product on the field.