2010s Philadelphia Eagles All-Decade Team: Defense & Special Teams

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?

EDGE: Brandon Graham, 2010-present

Even though he didn’t become a regular starter until Doug Pederson and Jim Schwartz took over, it wasn’t hard to put the franchise’s leading sacker this decade on the team. Graham’s numbers in that category have never been gaudy, but his ability to consistently pressure the quarterback and also be elite in the run game can’t be measured in a box score. Graham hasn’t missed a meaningful game since 2011 and was selected as a second-team All-Pro in 2016. He’s also responsible for the single biggest defensive play in Eagles history with his timely strip-sack of Tom Brady in Super Bowl LII. 

EDGE: Trent Cole, 2010-2014

The franchise’s second all-time leading sacker, Cole totaled 38.5 of his 90.5 career sacks during his five-year stint with Philadelphia in the 2010s. His best years may have come before the beginning of the decade, but he remained productive until his departure and was an important piece of the Eagles lone playoff team in the Chip Kelly era. 

INTERIOR: Fletcher Cox, 2012-present

Who else? One of the most dominant interior defenders of this decade, Cox has been selected to five consecutive Pro Bowls and received an All-Pro nod four times. He is one of the very few interior defensive linemen who can single-handedly take over a game (see Week 17, 2018). Even in a down year this past season where he dealt with a nagging injury, Cox still tied his career-high with three forced fumbles. He is right behind Graham on the franchise list for sacks this decade. With all of his accomplishments since being drafted in 2012, Cox may very well contend for a spot on the NFL’s All-Decade team as well.

INTERIOR: Bennie Logan, 2013-2016

The task of finding a second interior defender to pair with Fletcher Cox wasn’t an easy one, but Logan takes the spot thanks to a number of solid seasons in midnight green. From 2013-2016, Logan was one of the better run defenders in the league, recording 164 tackles during his tenure in Philadelphia.

LB: Nigel Bradham, 2016-present

Since arriving with Jim Schwartz in 2016, Bradham has started every game he’s played in with Philadelphia. With 348 tackles in midnight green, Bradham ranks fifth this decade for Philadelphia. Everyone ahead of him made this team as well. He was rewarded with a $40 million contract in 2018 after becoming an important presence in the middle for a Super Bowl defense. 

LB: DeMeco Ryans, 2012-2015

Right behind Bradham in tackles for Philadelphia this decade, Ryans was a solid linebacker for Philadelphia during his four-year tenure. Although injuries contributed to his falling off during the last half of his time here, he still accomplished enough in 2012 and 2013 to earn a spot on this list. 

LB: Mychal Kendricks, 2012-2017

The older brother of Vikings All-Pro linebacker Eric Kendricks, Mychal was a solid linebacker in his own right while playing for the Eagles. His playing time was always shaky as a result of coaching decisions, but he made an impact whenever he was on the field. He ranks second among Eagles in tackles this decade behind the iron-man further down this list. 

CB: Asante Samuel, 2010-2011

He only played two seasons for the Eagles this decade, but that was enough for him to stand out at a barren position. Samuel’s lone Pro Bowl selection this decade came in 2010, already placing him above every other Philadelphia cornerback. That year he led the NFC in interceptions.

CB: Jalen Mills, 2016-present

Jalen Mills as a starter on your All-Decade team? Not ideal. He’s had his moments, most notably the 2017 Divisional Playoffs, but he makes this team because of being a starter for the past few seasons and starting in the Super Bowl. 

S: Malcolm Jenkins, 2014-present

One of the best free-agent signings in Eagles history, Jenkins has been an iron man since he arrived from New Orleans in 2014. In six seasons, he’s played more than 99% of defensive snaps five times (per PFR). He’s been selected to three well-deserved Pro Bowls and captured his second Super Bowl ring in 2009. Although age is starting to catch up, he remains a valuable contributor in the secondary. 

S: Rodney McLeod, 2016-present

While not as decorated as Jenkins, McLeod has also been a steady presence in the Eagles defensive backfield since his arrival. There isn’t much competition for this second safety spot, but after starting for nearly half of the decade, it’s well-deserved for McLeod. 

K: Jake Elliott, 2017-present

After the Eagles picked him up in relief of the injured Caleb Sturgis, Elliott kicked his way into the hearts of Eagles fans with a 61-yard game-winning field goal in 2017 that really pushed that Super Bowl season into the next gear. Elliott was recently handed a new contract for his efforts over the last three seasons. 

P: Donnie Jones, 2013-2017

In five seasons with the Eagles, Jones totaled nearly 17,000 punting yards. 

ST: Jon Dorenbos, 2010-2016

The hybrid long snapper and magician, Dorenbos was a core part of the special teams unit from 2006 to 2016. Even though he was off of the team before their championship season, he received a Super Bowl ring from the team. 

HC: Doug Pederson, 2016-present

Robbed of Coach of the Year in 2017, Pederson brought the Eagles their first Super Bowl title in franchise history. He’s led them to postseason appearances in three consecutive seasons.

-By: Micah Jimoh

The Eagles Secondary Grade

Player Grade: C+

Coaching Grade: F

Player Grade Summary: WOW, is this an interesting position for the Eagles. In a season where the secondary was basically just trying to limp across the finish line most games and decimated by injuries, it was almost doomed before it started. I had high hopes for Rasul Douglas and I will admit he had issues this year big time. Sidney Jones became a healthy scratch before having a resurgence at the end of the year. Avonte Maddox played decently in the slot but struggled when he was forced back outside. Jalen Mills actually looked like a good corner again and it was him coming back to this defense that saved the C+ from being even lower. Instead of even bringing up Ronald Darby’s performance this year, let’s just be happy with how well the safeties played closing out the year.

While the safety position even looked like a weakness at the beginning of the year seems that Jenkins and McLeod would try to make plays that left others exposed and seemed to have lost a step. The duo played much better especially as soon as Jalen Mills came back that seemed to help get the defense back to playing structure coverage and playing more disciplined instead of playing too low and being too aggressive at times. Marcus Epps came in and did not play badly, he could be a part of the team next year but you never really know.

Coaching Grade Summary: Thank you… Detroit Lions. Cory Undlin by some Kliff Kingsbury (but without success) failed upwards from DB Coach for the Eagles to a DC job with the Lions. Undlin has somehow taken a secondary that had Avonte Maddox looking elite in coverage last year and regressed him to a solid slot corner who struggled outside, Sidney Jones showed little development, Rasul Douglas came back into the season with hype about how he had shaved weight and worked on becoming faster only to show little development if not regression, Jalen Mills even had a rookie year that made him look like he could develop into a number one corner and yes you guessed it… he regressed after that. Marquand Manuel being hired and Cory Undlin being gone could not have come soon enough.

-By: Austin Bronstad

Writer

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