The 2020s are rolling steadily, and with the Eagles now out of the postseason it has given extra time to reflect on the past decade. In this article, I have picked a 53-man roster that make up the best of the best of the 2010s decade. Take a look and see if you agree with all my choices, or if I snubbed a worthy player or two:
QB Nick Foles
Foles had a few opportunities towards the end of 2012, but he burst onto the scene in 2013 when he stepped in as a starter when Michael Vick went down with an injury. He led the Eagles to the playoffs that season, and had the best touchdown to interception ratio in NFL history (which has since been surpassed). After being shipped out in 2015, he returned in 2017 to be Carson Wentz's backup. Then, the unimaginable happened as he led a banged up Eagles team all the way to their first Super Bowl victory, and also became the Super Bowl MVP in the process. Foles left the Eagles after 2018, but in his two stints with Philadelphia he set or tied five NFL records:
•Tied for most consecutive completions in a single game (25)
•Tied for most touchdowns in a single game (7)
•Highest passer rating in NFL playoff history (113.2) (125+ attempts)
•Highest completion percentage in a single playoff (72.6) (100+ attempts)
•Highest completion percentage in NFL Playoff history (71.9) (100+ attempts)
St. Nick was the hero Philadelphia needed and deserved, and rightfully has a statue at Lincoln Financial Field to honor his legacy here.
RB LeSean McCoy
Shady was a star also from the get-go in Philadelphia. He became a superstar in 2011 when he led the league in rushing touchdowns with 17, and in the process was named 1st Team All-Pro and was also selected to the Pro Bowl. In 2014, he became the franchise's all-time rushing leader, and will likely hold that title for the foreseeable future. He also has the 3rd-most rushing touchdowns in team history.
Not only was he the team's best running back from the 2010's, he's in the conversation for best Eagles running back ever.
WR DeSean Jackson
Jackson contributed immediately when he came to the Eagles. In 2010, he capped off what is still considered one of the greatest comebacks in NFL history with a walk-off punt return touchdown against the New York Giants. Jackson was a threat any time he stepped onto the field, and he made defenses play honest and far back, which in-turn helped his teammates get open.
As of now, he has the 4th-most receiving yards, 8th-most receptions 9th-most receiving touchdowns, and the most punt return touchdowns in Eagles history.
WR Jeremy Maclin
The duo of Maclin and Jackson in the early 2010s was a nasty one that kept defenses awake at night the week they had to play them. Maclin made a few clutch and amazing catches in his time in Philadelphia, and finished his career with the 10th-most receptions, 10th-most receiving yards and 7th-most receiving touchdowns in Eagles franchise history.
TE Zach Ertz
The Eagles weren't in desperate need of a tight end in 2013, but when they were on the clock in the 2nd round of the 2013 draft he was undoubtedly the best player available. He quickly overtook Brent Celek to become the team's primary receiving tight end. Fans started to believe was was overrated and overhyped when he didn't put up big production numbers early in his career, but starting in 2017 he has consistently been a top-three tight end in the NFL. He caught the game-winning touchdown in Super Bowl LII, broke the NFL record for receptions by a tight end in a season in 2018, and is closing in on becoming the Eagles all-time receptions leader.
At the moment, Ertz stands with the 2nd-most receptions, 5th-most receiving yards and 8th-most receiving touchdowns in Eagles franchise history.
TE Brent Celek
Celek was the definition of a Philadelphia Eagle. The hard-nosed tight end only missed one game in his career, and never complained when the team drafted Ertz when he was set to become the go-to guy at tight end. He was ultimately rewarded for all the hard work he put on the field when he won a Super Bowl ring with the 2017 team, and rode into the sunset by retiring soon after that game.
Celek currently has the 5th-most receptions, 9th-most receiving yards, and 12th-most receiving touchdowns in Eagles history.
LT Jason Peters
The Bodyguard was pretty much the only left tackle the Eagles used throughout the entire decade, so it's a no-brainer that he is here. Peters has probably played his last down as an Eagle, but we should be hearing from him again soon in a few years when he is selected to the Eagles Hall of Fame and the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Peters played 140 as an Eagles, which are the 18th-most in team history. He was also selected to seven Pro Bowls and was a 2x First Team All-Pro in his time in Philadelphia. The guy is a living legend
LG Evan Mathis
The lone star from the 2011 "Dream Team" offseason, Mathis was a low-risk signing that turned into one of the best guards in the NFL. While in Philadelphia he was named to two Pro Bowls, and was selected First Team All-Pro once.
C Jason Kelce
The 2011 draft for the Eagles was a disastrous one, as all of the top picks from that year were failures in the NFL. However, 6th round pick Jason Kelce has turned into a borderline Hall of Famer and has saved that draft from becoming the worst draft in Eagles history. In recent years Kelce has truly blossomed into the best center in the NFL, as he has been named First Team All-Pro three consecutive years. He has also been selected to the Pro Bowl three different times. Of course in Philadelphia, he will always be remembered for that epic speech he gave on the Art Museum steps during the Eagles Super Bowl parade. Kelce currently has played the 32nd-most games in Eagles history, but if he decides to play one more year and is healthy for all of 2020, he will tie Ron Jaworski (142) for the 17th-most games played.
RG Brandon Brooks
Brooks has arguably become the greatest free agent signing in Eagles history. He has essentially been the best guard in all of football since his arrival in Philadelphia, and was a big part of the team's successful Super Bowl run in 2017. He has been named to three Pro Bowls, and is now the highest-paid guard in football history thanks to his stellar play.
RT Lane Johnson
The first draft pick of the Chip Kelly Era, Johnson still remains the top right tackle in football when healthy. He is credited with Chris Long for helping come up with the underdog masks that became a rally mask that all Philadelphians bought and wore to games since 2017. He has been selected to two Pro Bowls, as well as named First Team All-Pro once.
DE Brandon Graham
Once considered a draft bust by a majority of the Eagles fan based, Graham has become a success story and is now considered by Eagles fans as a legend for his strip-sack of Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII. He has also turned into a pretty reliable pass-rusher; he now has the 5th-most sacks in team history.
DE Trent Cole
Cole was the team's best pass rushed since Reggie White left town. His 85.5 sacks are still the 2nd-most in franchise history. He was also great at forcing fumbles, and forced the 3rd-most in team history. Only 10 players in the team's almost 90-year history have played in more games than him.
DT Fletcher Cox
The Eagles traded up to draft him in 2012, and boy has that worked out well for them. He has been a constant force in the middle of the trenches for the past eight seasons, earning five Pro Bowl selections and making one First Team All-Pro. He currently stands with the 7th-most sacks and has played in the 34th-most games in Eagles history.
DT Mike Patterson
Defensive tackle has been a tricky position for the Eagles to find successful players with, but Patterson was one of the top ones in recent memory outside of Fletcher Cox. He played in over 100 games as an Eagle, and has the 27th-most sacks and 28th-most tackles in team history. Not too shabby from the 2005 1st round draft pick.
OLB Connor Barwin
Barwin found his success in Philadelphia as a pass-rusher, but he played defensive end in Doug Pederson's 4-3 defense and OLB in Chip Kelly's 3-4 defense. He was named to one Pro Bowl while in Philadelphia, and ended up with the 17th-most sacks in team history in just 64 games as an Eagle.
ILB DeMeco Ryans
The Eagles were in desperate need of linebacker help back in 2012, so the tema went out and signed Ryans from the Houston Texans. Ryans instantly became one of the leaders of the defense, racking up over 300 tackles in four seasons. He finished his time in Philadelphia with the 27th-most tackles in franchise history.
OLB Mychal Kendricks
Kendricks was drafted with the hope of solidifying the linebacker group, and he was pretty successful in his time in Philly. He was a tackling machine, was able to rush and sack quarterbacks as well as picked off a few passes. Even as a linebacker, he finished his time here with the 27th-most sacks (3rd-most by a linebacker) in team history.
CB Asante Samuel
There hasn't been many great Eagles cornerbacks this decade, but Sameul's Eagles career barely squeak into the 2010s so he gets counted towards this decade. The ballhawk had the 11th-most interceptions in Eagles history, and tied for the 6th-most pick-sixes as well.
CB Jalen Mills
Yes a lot of people think he isn't good, but when you think of the entire 2010s decade, it was filled with absolute trash cornerbacks like Byron Maxwell, Leodis McKelvin, Bradley Fletcher, Cary Williams, etc. Mills has been a vocal part of the Eagles defense since his arrival in 2016, and even though he does get beat occasionally, his play in the redzone makes up for the other mistakes he has. When you think of him as a 7th-round draft pick, he has far exceeded his expectations.
S Malcolm Jenkins
Jenkins has been the unquestioned leader of the Eagle defense since he arrived in 2014. He battles Brandon Brooks for being considered the greatest free agent signing in team history, and can go as far as saying he is the 2nd-best safety in the team's almost 90-year existence. He does everything the team asks of him: play special teams, play slot corner, play linebacker, etc. He hasn't missed a snap since 2017 (and even then that was only because the team was resting its starters in Week 17). He has the 2nd-most pick-sixes, 6th-most forced fumbles, 11th-most tackles, and the 4th-most sacks (among safeties) in Eagles franchise history. On top of all of that, he was essential in helping the team win its first ever Super Bowl.
S Rodney McLeod
Jenkins' safety partner the past four season, McLeod has been solid in his Eagles career and even made a big play in the Super Bowl when Brandin Cooks tried hurdling him on a crucial 3rd down play early in the game. Besides that, the Eagles haven't had many decent safeties in the 2010s before McLeod arrived (Kurt Coleman, Nate Allen, Patrick Chung). So if you want to consider it a technicality, McLeod is the 2nd-best safety for the Eagles of the 2010s.
K Jake Elliott
A no-brainer, Elliott has turned into a borderline star of a kicker since he entered the league in 2017. He kicked the longest field goal in Eagles history when he nailed a 61-yarder as time expired against the Giants. He also kicker the longest field goal by a rookie in Super Bowl history, and when he was needed most, he kicked a 46-yard field goal right down the middle of the uprights to put the Eagles up by eight points in Super Bowl LII.
His fantastic play was rewarded when he signed a multi-year extension in the middle of the 2019 season, making him one of the highest-paid kickers in the league moving forward.
P Donnie Jones
Although Cam Johnston has been pretty good the past two season, Donnie Jones was the best punter for the Eagles in the 2010s. In fact, Jones might arguably be the best punter in franchise history. He (by far) has the most punts inside the 20-yard line in franchise history. Jones is actually 2nd in most punting categories behind Johnston, but Johnston will need to sustain that success for the next few seasons if he will truly be considered a better punter than Jones was for the Birds.
LS Jon Dorenbos
Although Rick Lovato has been nice, Jon Dorenbos is still the GOAT longsnapper (Lovato might need to learn magic to overtake Dorenbos' throne). The Magic Man appeared in 162 games as an Eagle, which are the 7th-most in team history. Dorenbos was also selected to two Pro Bowls in his time in Philadelphia. He will forever be considered an Eagles great even though he pretty much just snapped balls between his legs. He was rewarded for his time in Philly with a Super Bowl ring even though he was forced into retirement prior to the start of the 2017 season.
ST Darren Sproles
DeSean Jackson was taken off of punt return duties once he became a force in the Eagles offense, but when Darren Sproles was on the Eagles he always returned punts, which is why he gets the nod over Jackson. Sproles had the 2nd-most punt return yards and tied for the most punt return touchdowns in Eagles history. If injuries didn't derail his final three seasons in Philadelphia, he likely would have had the most yards and most touchdowns. Still, if teams could have hand picked who their punt returner would be, all 32 teams would have selected Sproles no matter how old he was.
