The Los Angeles Rams will be kicking off the 2020 NFL Season against a couple of NFC East heavyweights in the Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles.
Although it is safe to assume the team as a whole is looking forward to ushering in a new era at SoFi Stadium against the Cowboys in the season opener, linebacker Troy Reeder is poised for quite the homecoming the following week.
After all, Reeder is a Delaware native that grew up surrounded by Eagles faithful as a kid. He will now have an opportunity to upset many of his close friends and family.
Reeder is admittedly excited to be returning close to his roots in Philadelphia, via Sarina Morales of the team’s official website:
“Definitely most looking forward to playing in Philadelphia Week 2. I grew up about 45 minutes outside Philly, surrounded by die-hard Eagles fans, so it will be fun getting to go back east and play in front of a lot of friends and family.”
Reeder’s comments are certainly understandable considering how familiar he is with the Eagles fandom. The result could determine just how much bragging rights he will have during family dinners for the holidays.
Reeder started his college career at Penn State and managed to emerge as the starting middle linebacker after redshirting his freshman year. He finished the season with 67 tackles and an interception en route to Big Ten Conference All-Freshman honors.
He announced that he would be transferring to the University of Delaware after the season and quickly established himself as a star for the Blue Hens. He would go on to earn All-CAA honors for three consecutive years before entering the league as an undrafted free agent prior to the 2019 NFL season.
Reeder was able to take advantage of the Rams’ major depth issues at linebacker by etching out a spot for himself on the active roster. He would eventually take on an integral role at the center of the defense after replacing injured linebacker Bryce Hager as the starter for the second half of the season. He ultimately finished his rookie campaign with 58 tackles and two forced fumbles.
Los Angeles has since ushered in some significant changes to both the roster and coaching staff this offseason. Aside from making the necessary adjustments to the new scheme, Reeder is now slated to compete for the vacancy left by inside linebacker Cory Littleton in free agency.
