Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Mychal Kendricks spoke with reporters for the first time in nearly a month Thursday afternoon.

He had stayed silent as speculation grew about his standing on the team -- speculation that was largely brought on by the coaches' decision to play him into the fourth quarter of the third preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts and for parts of the preseason finale against the New York Jets after he returned from a hamstring injury.

His curious summer leaked into the regular season, as Kendricks played just 19 snaps (37 percent) in the opener against the Cleveland Browns.

"As good an athlete as Mychal is, it's just unfortunate that we have to take one guy off [in nickel packages]," said coach Doug Pederson on Monday. "Right now he's the guy that -- he's the odd man out and he ends up coming off the field."

Linebacker Mychal Kendricks (left) says he's doing everything he can to stay ready for when the Eagles need him. Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

Kendricks, who said he didn't want to speak until he had a better understanding of the situation, acknowledged that being that odd man out and having reps "taken back" is frustrating, but said that's just the nature of the business.

"I think the National Football League happened. It's the NFL. You've got to play. And we have a lot of good LBs. When I was down, guys were up and they were able to showcase what they can do on that package. But you know what? I'm getting reps in practice and I'm going to stay ready. That's my mindset right now."

Regardless of the circumstances, this is a bit of a far fall for the former second-round pick out of Cal who burst onto the scene and posted 106 tackles, four sacks, three interceptions and four fumble recoveries in his second season.

Inconsistency and injuries have hampered him, including last year when he struggled to find a rhythm as a rotational player. The returns have not been great since the Eagles signed him to a four-year, $29 million extension last August.

Kendricks was asked if he feels like he is at a career crossroads.

"I think as I get older -- and this has nothing to do with football -- I used to be so wound up, like tight, and just wanted everything to go the way I wanted it to; still do in many ways, but there's just some things you can't control," he said.

"And lately I've just been trying to, one, stay humble, two, remember I'm blessed, very blessed. My family is healthy, I'm healthy -- I'm back healthy -- and three, put that ego aside and feed your soul instead. I've really just been understanding of the situations and when it's my time, I just have to be ready. I can't focus on the things I can't control but I do have high expectations for myself still, very much so."

The 25-year-old spoke well of his new defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz, but did note that he's not asked to blitz as much in this system. Blitzing is a strength of his.

It hasn't been an ideal start to Year 5, and Kendricks doesn't know about his long-term future in Philadelphia ("We're all renting space all the time, so I'm not ever just going to be comfortable. Ever," he said), but it doesn't sound like he has soured on the team.

"Where I can best help the defense is being ready on base, doing what my coaches ask me to do, and being a really good teammate, making sure the guy next to me isn't slacking off or keeping them in check," he said. "There's so many other ways. You guys know what I'm capable of doing. Seen it. Done it. Maybe not to the level I want because of injuries, but, where am I most valuable? I just got to be effective when I'm in there, man, that's where I can help my team."