Honoring the Newest Member of the Eagles Hall of Fame: Malcolm Jenkins

The Eagles have a quick turnaround coming off their loss to the Cowboys, as they will host the 8-3 Chicago Bears on Black Friday. Not only is this a big day because of the huge matchup, but it is also a big day because an all-time great Eagle, Malcolm Jenkins, will be inducted into the team’s Hall of Fame during the game.

February 28th, 2009, is a day that will live in infamy for the Philadelphia Eagles. The day Brian Dawkins signed with the Denver Broncos. The decision to let Dawkins walk was obviously not a popular one in Philadelphia, and it was a move that would leave a hole at safety for the next 5 years. Then, the Eagles signed Jenkins.

While many people now think of Jenkins as an Eagle, he started his career in New Orleans. Jenkins was the 14th pick in the 2009 draft out of Ohio State. Jenkins was drafted as a nickel corner, but early on, it was clear that safety was his better position. After playing his rookie year sparingly, but winning the Super Bowl, the Saints moved Jenkins to safety in 2010. This move was a great one for Jenkins as he quickly earned the starting job and put together a nice sophomore season. After 5 seasons with the Saints, they chose to let him enter free agency, and the Eagles swooped in.

On March 11th, 2014, the Eagles signed Jenkins to a three-year $15.50 million deal. Finally, the Eagles had their safety. Jenkins finished the 2014 season with 80 tackles, 3 interceptions, and a forced fumble in a promising first season with the Eagles. Jenkins followed up a good 2014 season with a Pro Bowl season in 2015. He finished the year with 109 tackles, 2 incompletions, and three forced fumbles. When I think of Jenkins, the first play that comes to mind is the 99-yard pick-six against Tom Brady when the Eagles upset the Patriots in Foxborough.

The Eagles rewarded Jenkins’ Pro Bowl season with a four-year $35 million contract extension that kept him under contract until 2020. In 2016, the Eagles finally paired Jenkins with a good player beside him as they signed Rodney McLeod in free agency. McLeod and Jenkins would solidify the back of the Eagles’ defense for the team that would bring us our first championship.

After coming off a 2016 season where Jenkins was named the 90th best player in the NFL according to the NFL Top 100, Jenkins had established himself as one of the best safeties in the NFL. While there was promise going into the 2017 season that the Eagles team could take a step forward, no one expected what would come.

The Eagles would finish the 2017 regular season 13-3 with the NFC’s number one seed, but as we all remember, Nick Foles was the quarterback, not Carson Wentz. Something that may have been more important than Jenkins’ play on the field was his leadership. Jenkins proudly wore the C on his chest for the Eagles, and he did not shy away from that role. During the playoff run, Jenkins and Fletcher Cox came up with the slogan “We all we got. We all we need,” and it became the rallying cry that carried the team to a Super Bowl victory. The Eagles had a ton of injuries that season, but it did not matter because they had the next man up mentality led by Jenkins. The second play I think of when I think of Jenkins was his hit on Brandon Cooks in the Super Bowl. He was a tone setter for his defenses, and that hit showed it.

Jenkins would go on to play two more seasons with the Eagles before returning to the Saints on a four-year $32 million deal. Jenkins officially retired from football on March 30th, 2022.

Jenkins was already immortalized in Eagles history as the leader of a team that brought the city its first Super Bowl championship. But now he is immortalized as one of the best players in franchise history, entering the team’s Hall of Fame.

Congratulations and thank you, Malcolm Jenkins, from Eagles fans everywhere.

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