The happiest person inside the NovaCare Complex is likely Julian Vandervelde.

Vandervelde was released with an injury settlement in August after a back issue required surgery.

On Tuesday, the Philadelphia Eagles released Wade Smith and re-signed Vandervelde, a fifth-round pick in the 2011 NFL draft.

“I've been staying in Philadelphia, I've been rehabbing here, so I have had the chance to see every game, and it is so much harder being a fan than it is being a player,” Vandervelde told Philadelphiaeagles.com. “I feel like, when you're on the sideline, when you're on the field, no matter what's going on, you're cool, calm and collected. You trust in the game plan and the guys next to you -- you get the feel and the sense that it's going to be all right. And when you're watching it on TV, I was going nuts. I'm running around my apartment, I'm throwing stuff, I'm freaking out. Guys are going down, I'm sending text messages to dudes like, 'No, brother, get up!' You can't affect anything, and when you can't affect anything it really does cause a bit of a panic in you. But at the same time, it was nice to be here, to be able to see the games, kind of live and die with the fans for a little bit there, and really get a sense of where the team's going and the progress. Really, the defense and the special teams have been so fun to watch.”

It has been a crazy season for Vandervelde, and he’s just happy to be with his teammates again.

“I always hoped that I'd be back,” Vandervelde told Philadelphiaeagles.com. “This is where I feel at home, I know the system, I know the city. I feel very comfortable here. I know the players and the coaches. You always have that hope and that place in your heart that you really hope that is where you get to spend the rest of your career, and so for me to come back to Philadelphia is really kind of the ideal situation.”