He started as a backup, then was thrust in a starting role. He quickly became the Eagles’ best defensive player, then was lost for the season and needed surgery.
His team came into the 2015 season with Super Bowl aspirations, then fell flat. They kept hopes alive way longer than they should have, then failed miserably and fired their head coach and de facto general manager.
It’s been quite a busy year for Eagles rookie Jordan Hicks.
“It’s been a lot of different scenarios within one year,” Hicks said on Monday. “You just take it for what it is and continue to learn.”
The Eagles took Hicks in the third round of the draft out of Texas, but the rookie was supposed to be a backup to the solid trio of inside linebackers (DeMeco Ryans, Mychal Kendricks and Kiko Alonso) the Eagles had assembled. But early injuries to Kendricks and Alonso led to Hicks’ starting his first NFL game in Week 3 against the New York Jets.
He started four of the next five games and played at an incredibly high level before he tore his left pectoral while trying to tackle Cole Beasley in the Cowboys game on Nov. 8. The injury needed surgery and he was lost for the year.
The good news: Hicks’ recovery has been going very well.
NFL
He has just a month of rehab left and expects to be ready for the Eagles’ entire offseason workout schedule. Although the season is over, Hicks will spend the next month in town to rehab.
“As you can tell, I’m pretty normal,” Hicks said. “I feel pretty normal on a daily basis. Everyday activities, I’m fine. Football’s a different story. If I was to play football right now, it wouldn’t be worth it. We’re still letting the tendon heal. All in all, I feel pretty good. No pain. I just continue to strengthen it.”
Hicks wasn’t supposed to be a key contributor to the Eagles’ defense in 2015, but he ended up being one of the team’s best players. He was certainly going to garner serious consideration for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
In his eight-game rookie season, Hicks had 54 tackles, one sack, two interceptions, one INT returned for a touchdown, one forced fumble and three fumble recoveries. He had seven impact plays (sacks, forced fumbles, INTs, fumble recoveries) in 2015.
But aside from personal stats, the Eagles’ defense as a whole fell off the cliff without its rookie star.
With Hicks in eight games, the defense gave up 366.8 yards per game and 112.9 rushing yards per game. Without him, the team gave up 436.5 yards per game and 156.3 yards on the ground.
Hicks said he didn’t think there was a definite correlation between his injury and the dropoff, but the numbers speak volumes.
Either way, it was tough for him to see.
“It hurt. It wasn’t easy to watch,” Hicks said. “Just because it’s just execution. We just have to execute better and make the plays when you’re in position. It’s tough because everybody’s here because they feel like they can contribute to this team. To be hurt and not be able to be out there, that’s tough in itself.”
As Hicks’ rookie season officially ended as he watched the Eagles pull off a win over the Giants in the finale, there was plenty of uncertainty. The Eagles are in the process of looking for a new head coach, who will implement new schemes.
Hicks said he’s fine with playing in a 3-4 or a 4-3 defense. Since entering the Longhorns program six years ago, Hicks has had five different defensive coordinators.
“Obviously, this level’s a little bit different,” Hicks said. “But scheme-wise, a scheme is a scheme. You have to learn how to execute a scheme. I think it helped me coming in this year to adapt and to learn the process and learn the defense as a whole. I take this season for what it is and learn.”
