CHARLOTTE – There was a time when Haason Reddick felt like he was in exactly the right place.
Then he became a first-round pick. Then, metaphorically at least, he was lost in the desert for a few years. Then, he started to find himself again. Then, he came back to the East Coast, and possibly, home.
It's been a twisting path for the newest Panthers' pass-rusher, with three disappointing years in Arizona, followed by a brilliant fourth, then a reunion with the coaches he knows from his college days at Temple, who put him in position to be his best.
"It's been crazy; just the thought of linking up with a coaching staff I knew from college, and so many Temple players, just linking up with those guys has been crazy," Reddick said upon his arrival in Charlotte, and signing a one-year deal with the Panthers. "Looking at the pieces that's being added to the defense with what's here, it's exciting.
"I'm a great addition, and I think we're going to wreck a lot of things."
The statistics suggest that's entirely possible.
Reddick had a career-high 12.5 sacks and six forced fumbles for the Cardinals last year, when they finally started using him the way Panthers head coach Matt Rhule and defensive coordinator Phil Snow did at Temple.
After choosing him 13th overall in the 2017 draft (following a 9.5-sack, 22.5-tackles for loss senior year), the Cardinals tried to turn Reddick into an inside linebacker, asking him to read and react and cover and direct traffic, which was a reasonable idea considering his body shape and athleticism. He was 220 pounds in college, a leaner version of the 245 he's carrying now, so there was a natural concern about his ability to hold up on the edge.
But it's also like drafting a really good apple and expecting it to taste like a great orange.
"All throughout college, for the most part, I was playing that defensive end/outside linebacker role," Reddick said, "I had crafted it, got good at it at Temple, and that helped get me to the first round. Trying the inside linebacker thing wasn't really my niche. Trying to learn it at the highest level of the game, with how fast the game moved was tough.
"Moving back outside and rushing, that's for me. That's what I do, get to the quarterback, get to the backfield and being disruptive. That's what I do, and I'm glad that I'm here now and somewhere that's understood and they know what I can do."
That's the expectation here, as the Panthers wanted to add some juice to a pass-rush that includes an ascending Brian Burns (9.0 sacks last year) but no other consistent source of pressure. But as he considered free agent offers, Reddick looked at Burns and 2020 first-round pick Derrick Brown and realized something's cooking here, saying: "This D-line could be stacked."
Reddick said in his early talks with Rhule and Snow, the expectations are clear. They're going to ask him to do what he did so well for them at Temple — get after quarterbacks. If that means lining up as a defensive end, fine. If it means standing up and rushing opposite Burns, sure. The important part is the result.
"I talked to Snow, he basically left it up to me. If I want to put a hand in the dirt I can, or a two-point stance, I can," Reddick said. "Depending on how I'm feeling, I might put the hand in the dirt. If not, I'll be in a two-point stance. Either way, I'll be causing havoc."
That he wasn't able to do that for a few years in Arizona made some wonder if he'd be able to, and that resulted in a mixed market.
Reddick took a one-year deal (as many players did in a year in which the salary cap went down from $198.2 million to $182.5 million), which also gives him a chance to be a free agent again next year when finances should be more normal. But he's also convinced coming here gives him the best chance to flourish.
"I had a great year, but there's still a lot of teams who wonder is this guy a great pass-rusher, can he do this at a high level, or was last season a fluke?" Reddick said of the last week of pitches from teams and offers. "We're going to show them this year, it's far from a fluke."
View photos of Haason Reddick during his four seasons with the Arizona Cardinals from 2017-20.
Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Haason Reddick (43) during an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Arizona Cardinals linebacker Haason Reddick (43) during the first half of an preseason NFL football game against the Los Angeles Chargers, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2018, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Haason Reddick, top, and cornerback Jamar Taylor tackle Oakland Raiders wide receiver Marcell Ateman (88) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 18, 2018, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Haason Reddick (43) celebrates his sack against the Los Angeles Rams with defensive end Chandler Jones (55) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 23, 2018, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Arizona Cardinals' Haason Reddick recovers a fumble forced by teammate Patrick Peterson during the second half of an NFL football game against the New York Giants, Sunday, Oct. 20, 2019, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Haason Reddick (43) lines up for a play in the first half of an NFL football game against the New Orleans Saints in New Orleans, Sunday, Oct. 27, 2019. (AP Photo/Butch Dill)
Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Haason Reddick sacks Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Sept. 27, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Arizona Cardinals linebacker Haason Reddick is pictured during the first half an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Thursday, Nov. 19, 2020, in Seattle. The Seahawks won 28-21. (AP Photo/Stephen Brashear)
Los Angeles Rams running back Cam Akers (23) scores a touchdown as Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Haason Reddick (43) and middle linebacker Jordan Hicks (58) defend during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 6, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones, left, tries to grab a loose ball while being tackled by Arizona Cardinals' Haason Reddick during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Noah K. Murray)
Arizona Cardinals' Haason Reddick reacts after sacking New York Giants quarterback Colt McCoy during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Haason Reddick (43) knocks the ball away from New York Giants quarterback Colt McCoy (12) during an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
New York Giants quarterback Colt McCoy (12) is tackled by Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Haason Reddick (43) during an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Haason Reddick (43) reacts after sacking New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones (8) during an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020, in East Rutherford, N.J. Cardinals linebacker Haason Reddick has morphed from a borderline bust to one of the team's best defensive players. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)
New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones fumbles the ball as he is tackled by Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Haason Reddick (43) during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
Arizona Cardinals' Haason Reddick, left, reaches out to knock the ball out of New York Giants quarterback Colt McCoy hands during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 13, 2020, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Bill Kostroun)
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (2) throws as Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Haason Reddick (43) pursues during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Haason Reddick (43) against the Philadelphia Eagles during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin)
Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Haason Reddick (43) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Haason Reddick (43) smiles prior to an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Jennifer Stewart)
Philadelphia Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert (88) and Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Haason Reddick (43) in action during an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 20, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Jennifer Stewart)
Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Haason Reddick (43) in action against the San Francisco 49ers during an NFL football game, Saturday, Dec. 26, 2020, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Jennifer Stewart)
Los Angeles Rams quarterback John Wolford center, is tackled by Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Haason Reddick, left, and free safety Jalen Thompson during the second half of an NFL football game Sunday, Jan. 3, 2021, in Inglewood, Calif. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
Temple linebacker Haason Reddick poses after being selected by the Arizona Cardinals during the 2017 NFL Draft on Thursday, April 27, 2017 in Philadelphia. (Ben Liebenberg via AP)
