DeMeco Ryans Suffers Achilles Injury

HOUSTON — DeMeco Ryans exited the locker room on crutches Sunday afternoon, and the news surrounding his injury is not good.

Per a league source, the belief is that Ryans has suffered a torn right Achilles. He’ll have an MRI tomorrow to confirm. 

The veteran linebacker appeared to land awkwardly after intercepting Ryan Fitzpatrick near the goal line. He fumbled the ball on the way to the ground, and stayed down for an extended period of time. Members of the Texans, including J.J. Watt, came over to the injured Ryans to show their support.

“You can see the respect that not only the guys on our team have for him but from the other team,” said Malcolm Jenkins. “It’s a big blow. A lot of people care about DeMeco and it just shows you the type of person he is and the type of impact he has on the room and the team. That’s a big blow.”

As he was being lifted into the cart, the Eagles sideline emptied to be with their leader. The crowd cheered in support of the former Texan as the cart drove off.

“He was just telling us, ‘It will be alright,'” said Jenkins.

“It just shows the respect everyone has for him. The guys is just a leader,” added Connor Barwin. “He was the team captain when he played here for six years; there are still a lot of guys that are still here and remember him. And you guys all know how he is with the Eagles. He’s just a great person, great leader, and that’s everybody has a lot of respect for him.”

Ryans was replaced by Casey Matthews. The nine-year vet is considered the quarterback of the defense. He leaves a big void in the middle that will have to be filled by Mychal Kendricks, among others.

“He’s the true leader. He’s Mufasa,” said Chip Kelly. “He’s our guy. But when a warrior goes down you pick up his shield and you go play in honor of him, and I think our guys did.”