Eagles fortunate Kendricks beat the odds and stayed

In the fabulous Eagles roster game of what-happens-next, let's consider a player who doesn't show up for voluntary predraft workouts, is coming to the end of his economical rookie contract, and, truth be told, doesn't really fit the prototype height and weight for the position he plays under Chip Kelly.

Minus skipping the workouts, that could describe Brandon Boykin, who had served admirably as the slot cornerback, and what happened next was that Boykin was traded to the Pittsburgh Steelers for a conditional fifth-round draft pick.

It could also describe the fate of a lot of players who for one reason or the other didn't fit into Kelly's long-term plans, either because of contract status (Jeremy Maclin), style of play (LeSean McCoy), dedication to the program (DeSean Jackson), or an attempt to leverage something out of Kelly by not attending training (Evan Mathis).

In this case, however, it describes inside linebacker Mychal Kendricks, and what happened next was the Eagles signed him Monday to a four-year contract extension that guarantees $16.4 million and could max out at $31.5 million, including incentives.

Kendricks becomes one of the few players who have gotten a commitment from Kelly that qualifies as an exception to the rule. Darren Sproles and Brandon Graham are two others who have outplayed their "measurables," and the 6-foot Kendricks has joined that - you will forgive the expression - short list.

It didn't seem that would be the outcome back in the spring, when Kendricks took a vacation to Costa Rica during the voluntary workouts and there were well-sourced trade rumors that indicated the Eagles were shopping him for a second-round draft pick. Those two things weren't necessarily related. The team could have told him to stay away to avoid injury while he was on the market. Either way, having signed DeMeco Ryans to an extension, having traded for Kiko Alonso, and having drafted Jordan Hicks in the third round, the Eagles appeared to be preparing for life after Mychal Kendricks.

Two weeks ago, everything changed quickly. The Eagles asked to negotiate an extension and, while Kendricks didn't get the last dollar off the table, he is happy with what took place.

"It was going to happen now or later. The fact that it happened here is great," Kendricks said Tuesday. "It's just about security. In this game, it's 100 percent guarantee you're going to get an injury or two in a season. I wasn't willing to take that risk."

The Eagles signed him even though - at 6 feet and 235 pounds - Kendricks is smaller than they like at the inside-linebacker position, and at a time when Kelly has been putting together a roster that often appears stamped out of a machine, position by position.

So, what changed? It's worth noting that two weeks ago is just about the same time Ryans, who is rehabilitating from a second ruptured Achilles tendon, went from practicing every day to more sporadic work on the field. The veteran still hasn't dressed for an exhibition game and was unsure Tuesday if he would be available for the regular-season opener Sept. 14.

"We'll see. We've got a lot of time before then," Ryans said. "It's tough to speculate."

The contract negotiations with Kendricks were also initiated at the same time that Alonso was suffering through the lingering after-effects of a concussion and Hicks was proving to be a promising rookie, but a rookie nonetheless.

Kendricks went from being one of a deep group to perhaps the only one on which the organization thought it could count on comfortably, which is understandable. His first three seasons, including one under Andy Reid as a strong-side linebacker in the 4-3, had been very productive. He totaled 173 solo tackles in his two seasons at inside linebacker and has been mobile enough to cover receivers in the middle of the field when necessary. In fact, according to defensive coordinator Bill Davis, Kendricks has even altered the team's ideal candidate for the position.

"In this day and age, the prototype, he's getting close to it. Because . . . with all the spread-out offenses that are out there, you need speed and athleticism," Davis said. "The old days, especially in a 3-4, we used to find big guys like the Levon Kirklands, who could butt heads with a guard. But you don't need that quite as much anymore."

Prototype or not, the Eagles took Kendricks from trading block to contract extension within the space of a few months and it wasn't because they liked him any more or less. It was because they didn't want their best bet to contribute at the position to be playing a lame-duck season with one foot out the door and the other taking only careful steps.

"For my security, for my family security, everything says do it now," Kendricks said.

And with that, he became one of the few exceptions to the rule of Chip Kelly. Guys don't usually survive trade rumors here. Guys don't usually get contract extensions unless circumstances make them not expendable.

Mychal Kendricks beat the odds. He's still here, and the Eagles should be thankful they aren't merely holding regrets and someone's second-round draft pick instead.

@bobfordsports