2010s Philadelphia Eagles All-Decade Team: Offense
2010s Philadelphia Eagles All-Decade Team: Offense
Another decade of football has concluded for the Eagles, but unlike the last several, this one saw the Eagles capture that ever-elusive Super Bowl title. Over the last ten years, several players have come and gone, but which ones made the biggest mark on the franchise?
QB: Carson Wentz, 2016-present
It was a close one between Wentz and the eternally-loved Nick Foles, but 2019’s brilliant late-season run pushed 2016’s second overall pick over the top. With his top three wide receivers all out for the final stretch of the season, Wentz became the first Eagles passer to throw for 4,000 yards in a single season and in the process shook off the injury bug that had plagued him in consecutive regular seasons. Wentz has set his fair share of Eagles records during his four-year tenure in midnight green. In 2017 he threw for a franchise-record 33 TDs and captured All-Pro honors. This past season, he topped the franchise-record for completions in a season… which he had set as a rookie three years prior.
Foles has never started more than 10 games in a single season with the Eagles, but he’s made the most of his time here. He’s most loved for his legendary 2017 postseason run en route to Super Bowl MVP honors and his subsequent run in 2018 after another Wentz injury. During his first tenure with Philadelphia, he set the NFL single-season record (since broken) with a sterling 27:2 TD/INT ratio. His next season wasn’t nearly as impressive and was cut short due to injury, but he was winning games anyway, finishing 2014 with a 6-2 record.
RB: LeSean McCoy, 2010-2014
Before being unceremoniously dumped by Chip Kelly following the 2014 season, McCoy became the franchise’s all-time leading rusher in just 90 games played. During his five seasons with the Eagles this decade, he missed out on the 1,000-yard mark just once, not coincidentally in the only season where he played less than 15 games. His best seasons were in 2011 (1,309 rushing yards, franchise-record 20 touchdowns) and 2013 (2,146 total yards, NFL rushing title). Ever since his departure, the Eagles have had trouble finding a franchise back, but the 2019 draft pick Miles Sanders could be the one they’ve been waiting for.
WR: DeSean Jackson, 2010-2013, 2019-present
Jackson was another victim of Chip Kelly’s purging of the locker room, but before his departure, the Eagles had one of the most electrifying players in the NFL. He was never going to get you 90+ catches in a season, but he would make the most of every target. During his four-year stretch from 2010-2013, he averaged a whopping 17.5 yards per reception on his 232 grabs. Jackson also made some splashes in the return game, most notably his game-winning punt return TD as time expired against the New York Giants in 2010. After Jackson left, he defected to the division-rival Redskins (and later Tampa Bay) and proceeded to torch us annually until his eventual return. Injuries robbed him of the 2019 season, but in his only healthy game, we got to see what could’ve been and what can still be when paired with Carson Wentz.
WR: Jeremy Maclin, 2010-2014
Maclin was the second-fiddle to Jackson for the better part of his tenure in Philly, but he broke out in 2014 when he took over as the #1 man. As is the custom with Chip Kelly-led teams, Maclin didn’t return after his breakout year. Besides his 1,318 yard outburst that year, Maclin averaged 893 yards per season for the Eagles in the 2010s.
WR: Jordan Matthews, 2014-2016, 2018, 2019
Others will favor guys like Alshon Jeffery and Nelson Agholor who contributed to the Super Bowl winning team of 2017, but Matthews’ contributions from 2014-2016 shouldn’t be forgotten. A second-round pick out of Vanderbilt in 2014, Matthews was really the Eagles only receiving threat in the two years following the departure of Jeremy Maclin. He totaled a very respectable 2,673 yards during his first tenure with the Eagles and was brought back for parts of the last two seasons to shore up an injured receiving core.
TE: Zach Ertz, 2013-present
Ertz may not outrun you like Travis Kelce or steamroll you like George Kittle, but the crafty tight end has made himself into arguably the best at the position. His best season came in 2018 when he set the single-season TE record for receptions with 116 and he followed that up with an 88-grab, 916-yard season this past year. After recording 702 yards in his sophomore season, Ertz has never fallen under 800 in a season. Ertz is also responsible for what proved to be the game-deciding touchdown in Super Bowl LII. He finished that postseason with just under 200 yards receiving.
OT: Lane Johnson, 2013-present
A first-round draft choice out of Oklahoma in 2013, Johnson has been a brick wall on the right side of the Eagles offensive line since overcoming his early-career PED issues. In addition to being an integral part of the aforementioned championship team, Johnson has been selected to two Pro Bowls and an All-Pro team, all in the last three seasons. Johnson is more than just a good player; he brings energy to the locker room and was one of the founders of the Underdog Movement of the 2017 postseason.
OT: Jason Peters, 2010-present
The end is much, much, much closer than the beginning for the Bodyguard, but the hopefully future Hall-of-Fame tackle has done more than the Eagles could’ve imagined when they acquired him from Buffalo before the 2009 season. In just this decade alone, Peters has made six Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams as the blindside protector of Michael Vick, Nick Foles, Sam Bradford, and Carson Wentz. He was well on his way to another selection to both of those teams in 2017 before an injury wiped out the better part of his season. He’s been slowing down lately, which is why Philadelphia drafted Andre Dillard in the first round of last year’s draft, but the 37-year-old still gets the job done.
OG: Brandon Brooks, 2016-present
After the firing of Chip Kelly, Howie Roseman took power back and made one of the best free-agent signings in Eagles history. Ever since his signing, Brooks has been a stalwart on the Eagles offensive line and is one of the biggest reasons why Carson Wentz has been one of the lesser sacked QBs since 2016. Brooks excellence has been recognized by the fans, --this year was his third consecutive Pro Bowl selection-- but the AP writers did the league a disservice by leaving him off of their All-Pro team this year. Brooks signed a 4-year/$54.2 extension this season.
OG: Evan Mathis, 2011-2014
A PFF favorite during his time in midnight green, Mathis put in four solid years for Philadelphia before over-valuing himself after the 2014 season. He was selected to two Pro Bowls and was named a first-team All-Pro in 2013. Mathis is the only offensive lineman on this list not currently playing for the team.
C: Jason Kelce, 2011-present
The second-longest tenured player on this list, Kelce has been on an absolute tear over the last three seasons. In a league with talented centers like Oakland’s Rodney Hudson or Dallas’ Travis Frederick, Kelce has collected three straight first-team All-Pros. If you watch him play, you can see that exceptional athleticism that allows him to get out into space and create plays that other linemen can only dream of. Besides a 2012 season where he tore ligaments in his knee early in the season, Kelce has started every game for the Eagles since he was drafted.
-By: Micah Jimoh
Writer/Interviewer