The preseason is around the corner and until the first game of football is played, Last Word on Pro Football will be reviewing the three faces of every NFL franchise. In this article, we will look at the 2019 Philadelphia Eagles, who are only a year removed from their Super Bowl title. Doug Pederson and company are on their way to becoming a perennial NFC contender for the Lombardi Trophy. But who are the faces of this franchise that are responsible for their current success and their future?
2019 Philadelphia Eagles: Faces of the Franchise
Carson Wentz
Wentzylvania. Any time you have an entire state named after you, you know that you have the full support of your franchise, right? Wrong. The Eagles may have traded up to draft Carson Wentz with the second overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft, but ever since Nick Foles won Super Bowl LII, there has been some quarterback controversy. What do you do when you have a quarterback who’s won four playoff games in back-to-back seasons? Well, you certainly don’t keep him around if he wants to be a starter. That wouldn’t be wise, especially for young MVP caliber signal-caller.
For quite some time, people in Philadelphia were calling for good ol’ Saint Nick to stick around and keep delivering wins around Christmas. However, anyone with common sense will tell you that the runaway league MVP candidate at the time was the reason why the Eagles locked up the number one seed in the 2017-2018 season. That 11-2 winning record isn’t something Foles could’ve accomplished in an incredibly tough conference like the NFC, where some games came down to the wire. This required Wentz to pull some magic tricks out of his hat, like his disappearing act against the Washington Redskins in Week Seven (2017).
Wentz’s talent is undeniable. From here on out, the two-time season-long captain of the Eagles will be playing to determine what his legacy is from here on out with the Eagles. We know that Doug Pederson can deliver a Lombardi to Broad Street. Now, can Carson do the same?
Fletcher Cox
Anytime you’re considered the best player on your team, there’s a good chance you’ll be recognized as a franchise player. Fletcher Cox is undoubtedly the second-best defensive tackle in the NFL right now. Being ranked one spot behind a future Hall of Famer in Aaron Donald is no small feat. This 2018 Eagles team captain has the ability to change the game and impact all players around him. This makes him a face no one forgets in the NFL let alone in the City of Brotherly Love.
His ability to manhandle elite tier talent is what sets him apart from every other player on this roster. There’s a great play from last season when Cox lifts and tosses aside Cowboys’ All-Pro guard Zack Martin and another highlight where Rams’ center, John Sullivan, gets thrown to the ground by Cox. These plays were a feature in the NFL’s 2019 Top 100 list, where Cox ranked number 28 overall. His peers like his fans recognize and respect his skill.
Which is exactly why Howie Roseman is a genius for paying Cox early with an, at the time, loaded contract. It was a six-year $102.6 million dollar contract extension that guaranteed $63 million and signed him through to 2022. That’s one easy way to lock up one of your franchises best players ever and not have to repay the man with a new even more expensive contract after having a monster All-Pro season. Prior to Wentz’s deal, Cox was the highest-paid Eagle in franchise history and one of the highest-paid players in the league at the time. Simply put, franchises don’t dish out this kind of money if you aren’t considered a face of the team.
Malcolm Jenkins
For this spot, it became less about raw talent like his peers on this list and more about his impact on the team and community. Malcolm Jenkins is a leader of men both on and off the field. While many players may have this phrase associated with them, Jenkins truly does embody its meaning. Whether it’s playing every single snap on defense for the Eagles or standing up for social justice reform, Jenkins brings a level of dedication to everything he tackles in life that can’t be matched.
If Fletcher Cox is the muscle upfront, then Jenkins is the brains behind the operation. Jenkins has evolved into a savvy player capable of directing and leading a secondary that at one point had players coming in from waivers. He took a young vulnerable secondary and turned it around with players like Cre’von LeBlanc, Josh Hawkins, Tre Sullivan, and Corey Graham.
These misfits played to the best of their ability in a huge playoff game against the Saints and held up well considering they held Sean Payton and Drew Brees high powered offense to only 20 points. Jim Schwartz can’t execute his defensive gameplan if he doesn’t have Jenkins being the glue holding that fractured secondary together. This team can survive and win with Wentz and Cox missing a couple of games (perhaps not Wentz now that Foles has left for Duval). However, losing Jenkins means losing the heart of your team. Honestly, it’s incredibly unlikely the Eagles win those tough playoff games against the Chicago Bears, Atlanta Falcons, and New England Patriots without Jenkins directing the defense and more importantly raising the morale of the team as a whole. To say that he is underrated would be an understatement. His impact and value to this team are immeasurable and that’s why he will forever be loved and celebrated in the nation’s first capital.
