After playing college football for the California Golden Bears, he was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft.

On November 11, 2012, Kendricks recorded a season-high seven combined tackles and made his first career sack on quarterback Tony Romo during the Eagles' 38–23 loss to the Dallas Cowboys.

Long time head coach Andy Reid was fired after the season, concluding his 14-year history with the organization.

On November 10, 2013, Kendricks recorded two solo tackles before exiting the Eagles' 27–13 win at the Green Bay Packers with a knee injury that caused him to miss the following game.

[22] On December 22, 2013, Kendricks made five combined tackles and a season-high two sacks on quarterback Jay Cutler as the Eagles routed the Chicago Bears 54–11.

The following week, he made a season-high tying 12 combined tackles (eight solo), a pass deflection, and intercepted Dallas Cowboys' quarterback Tony Romo in a 24–22 loss.

[24] The Eagles finished their first season under Chip Kelly first in the NFC East with a 10–6 record and received a playoff berth.

[23] Kendricks started the Philadelphia Eagles' season-opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars and recorded six solo tackles, a pass deflection, and sacked Chad Henne during a 34–17 victory.

[26] He finished his third season with 83 combined tackles (62 solo), four sacks, and three pass break ups in 12 games and 11 starts.

[27][10] Throughout training camp, Kendricks competed against DeMeco Ryans, Kiko Alonso, and Jordan Hicks for the role as a starting inside linebacker.

[29] He started the Philadelphia Eagles' season-opener at the Atlanta Falcons and made ten combined tackles during their 26–24 loss.

The following week, he made seven solo tackles before leaving the Eagles' 20–10 loss to the Dallas Cowboys after suffering a hamstring injury.

[24] On January 18, 2016, the Philadelphia Eagles announced the hiring of Kansas City Chiefs offensive coordinator Doug Pederson as their new head coach.

[32] He entered training camp slated as the starting weakside linebacker after Brandon Graham and Connor Barwin were both moved to defensive end.

[35] Kendricks had career-lows in 2016, finishing with only 32 combined tackles (23 solo) and a pass break up in 15 games and eight starts.

[16] Kendricks saw significantly less playing time in 2016 due to Schwartz's decision to remove him and only use two linebackers (Jordan Hicks and Najee Goode) during passing downs and nickel formations.

Kendricks received an increase in snaps after Jordan Hicks suffered a torn Achilles tendon during their 34–24 victory against the Redskins.

Kendricks finished the 2017 regular season with 77 combined tackles (55 solo), six passes defended, and two sacks in 15 games and 13 starts.

[40] Kendricks signed a one-year contract with the Cleveland Browns on June 5, 2018,[41] but was released on August 29, 2018, after being charged with insider trading.

[48] In week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals, Kendricks recorded 6 tackles and sacked rookie quarterback Kyler Murray twice in the 27–10 win.

[50] In week 9 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Kendricks recorded a strip sack on Jameis Winston that was recovered by teammate Rasheem Green in the 40–34 overtime win.

[65][66][67][68] On July 22, 2021, Kendricks was sentenced to one day in jail, three years of probation, and 300 hours of community service stemming from his guilty plea.