Former Texans rookie of the year cut by Philly

The Philadelphia Eagles cut former Houston Texans linebacker DeMeco Ryans after four seasons in Philly

The Houston Texans selected DeMeco Ryans with the first pick in the second round of the 2006 NFL draft and watched the Alabama kid win the defensive rookie of the year that season. He became the leader of the Texans defense and during his six seasons in Houston, Ryans racked up 636 tackles from the middle linebacker position.

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Ryans wound up losing his job to first round linebacker Brian Cushing, and was subsequently traded to the Philadelphia Eagles in 2012. He has been a defensive leader now for the Eagles for the past four seasons, but unfortunately for the two-time Pro Bowler, that ride has come to an end as the Eagles have released the 31-year old linebacker.

The move makes sense as Ryans numbers have dipped dramatically the past two seasons in which he has recorded 45  and 49 tackles respectively. A torn Achilles caused him to miss half of the 2014 season, which can be to blame for the low number of tackles, however in 2015 his age seems to have been more of a factor.

Ryans did miss two games due to hamstring issues, but still played in 14 games while totaling just 49 tackles. In Philly he will give way to a trio of linebackers much younger with Kiko Alonso (25), Mychal Kendricks (25) and second year player Jordan Hicks (23).

Next: Houston Texans position grades

Texans fans should all wish the former Texan star the best of luck as he moves on in his career now.