Dallas Reynolds played more football in one afternoon for the Philadelphia Eagles than he had the previous three years combined. And he’ll get plenty more playing time in the upcoming weeks.
Reynolds is the Eagles’ backup center who became their starting center when Jason Kelce went down with a knee injury in Sunday’s 24-23 victory over the Baltimore Ravens.
Depending on what further testing reveals, Kelce will be out for at least four-six weeks or the entire season. Either way, Reynolds will be the man in the middle of the offense for the foreseeable future.
That’s quite a change from his immediate past. Before Sunday, Reynolds had played in just one game in his three-plus years with the Eagles, which were mostly spent on the practice squad. He barely beat out Jason Vandervelde for a spot on the active roster this season and now he’ll be in the starting lineup on Sunday at Arizona.
“Those are the good stories in the game,’’ coach Andy Reid said. “He has an opportunity now and he’s going to make sure he handles that the right way and works hard -- you don’t forget what got you there.’’
Reynolds said he remembers everything, including the three seasons of practicing every Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and never playing on Sunday.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a long time,’’ Reynolds said. “After a few years on the practice squad and now to be active and have a chance to play and start -- I’m excited about the opportunity.”
Reid said Reynolds even took over Kelce’s role of calling blocking assignments for the rest of the offensive line, an often-overlooked part of the center’s job and an intimidating one for a player with almost no experience doing it.
“He did everyting that Jason was doing with the calls,’’ Reid said. “He’s a smart kid and he was able to handle all of that.’’
Brains are nice, but it also takes brawn to play in the NFL, and Reid said that’s the biggest difference in Reynolds since the Eagles signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Brigham Young -- Reid’s alma mater -- in 2009.
“He worked his tail off here and you saw the transformation in his body strength and quickness,’’ Reid said. “He was always a good athlete, but he needed to get stronger and that’s what he did. He lived in the weight room and got to where he needs to be to compete at this level.
“He had a big challenge on Sunday, literally and figuratively,’’ Reid added, referring to Ravens defensive tackles Terrence Cody and Ma’ake Kemoeatu. “He had a couple big men over him and he held his own. He played good, solid football.”
For more up-to-the-minute news and analysis on the Philadelphia Eagles from blogger Kevin Noonan, follow @CBSEagles.
