Brian Dawkins (Getty Images)
The Philadelphia Eagles have had a number of great players in their history, but for purposes of this list many of them played before 1965 and are thus missing. Some familiar names like Ron Jaworski will also be missing. Having said that, there are still some pretty good guys to talk about.
10: (A) Bill Bergy:
While Bergy wasn’t Chuck Bednarik, he had a good seven-year run as the Eagles middle linebacker from 1974–80. Included in that stint were three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro seasons. Bergy had a nose for the ball, picking off 18 passes and recovering 15 fumbles. Bergy recovered six fumbles in 1975, leading the NFL in that category. Bill was also named to the Football Reference second team All 70s team.
10: Harold Carmichael
Old guys like me remember Carmichael as a tall guy who caught a lot of passes. Harold did, however, have more talent than just being 6’8”. Carmichael had his best season in 1973 when he led the NFL in receptions with 67 and receiving yards with 1116. Carmichael spent 13 seasons in Philadelphia, going to four Pro Bowls. Harold was productive and consistent, which is good enough to be number nine on this list.
9: Randall Cunningham
Before there was Cam Newton there was Randall Cunningham. Cunningham was an effective weapon running the ball as well as throwing the deep pass. Cunningham picked up a Bobby Douglas like 942 yards rushing in 1990. A quick release wasn’t Randall’s strong suit. He led the NFL in times sacked five times in his 11 seasons in Philadelphia. In 1986 opposing defenses managed to sack him 72 times. Randall was named to the Pro Bowl three times while with the Eagles. Cunningham appeared in seven playoff games with the Eagles and put up less than spectacular results.
8: Donovan McNabb
Another Eagles QB of note is Donavan McNabb. Like Randall Cunningham, McNabb played for the Eagles before making his way to Minnesota. McNabb spent 11 seasons in Philadelphia, going to six Pro Bowls during that time. McNabb did take the Eagles to Super Bowl XXXIX but wasn’t at his best in that game, throwing three interceptions. McNabb’s record as the Eagles QB was 98–62–1, so Donavan had a nice run with the Eagles.
7: Brian Westbrook
Westbrook was a solid running back for the Eagles for eight seasons. During that time, he averaged 4.6 yards per carry and caught 426 passes for another 3790 yards. Brian ran and caught passes for a total of 2107 yards during the 2007 season, which led the NFL. A versatile guy, Westbrook also returned two punts for TDs during the 2003 season. Brian found his way to two Pro Bowl teams and was named All-Pro for the 2007 season. Westbrook was one of a number of versatile backs to make his way onto this list.
6: Wilbert Montgomery
Montgomery rushed for over 1000 yards in three of his eight seasons with the Eagles. His biggest season was 1979 when he ran for 1512 yards. He also caught 41 passes for another 494 yards, giving him a total of 2006 yards from scrimmage, which led the NFL. Montgomery played in seven playoff games for the Eagles, scoring six touchdowns. Honesty compels me to mention he also fumbled a whopping 14 times during the 1979 season. Wilbert was named to the Pro Bowl twice while with the Eagles.
5: LeSean McCoy
McCoy was like a revved-up version of Montgomery. In 2013 McCoy led the NFL in rushing with 1607 yards and caught 52 passes for another 539 yards. The combined yards from scrimmage of 2126 led the NFL. Shady was named to three Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams in his six seasons with the Eagles. He rushed for over 1000 yards four times while in Philadelphia and scored a total of 66 TDs. In 2014 he was named #5 on the list of the 100 best NFL players that season. An explosive, big–play back who was a threat as a receiver, LeSean McCoy comes in at number five on this list.
4. Jason Peters
Jason protected Eagles QBs from 2009–2020. Peters was named to seven Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams while with the Eagles. Peters’ nickname was The Bodyguard and it’s appropriate. He was the best offensive tackle the Eagles had since Bob Brown was doing his thing in the 1960s. The Eagles don’t have a lot of offensive linemen who have stood out, but Peters is one of them.
3. Brian Dawkins
Brian Dawkins was a really good safety for the Eagles for a really long time. Dawkins was in the Eagles defensive backfield from 1996–2008. During that time he was named to seven Pro Bowls and four All-Pro teams. In his 13 seasons with the Eagles Dawkins intercepted 34 passes, recovered 16 fumbles, and sacked the opposing QB 21 times. He also forced 31 fumbles. Another safety I considered was Bill Bradley, who twice led the NFL in interceptions and also handled the punting chores for the Eagles.
2: Jason Kelce
While not as famous as his brother Travis, in his own way, Jason may be just as accomplished. He retired after the 2023 season, but seemed to have gotten better during the later part. Kelce was named to seven Pro Bowls and to the All-Pro Team six times. Five of those Pro Bowls were in the last five years of his career, and he was named All Pro the last three years of his career and six of the last seven years of his career. The success of the Eagles’ Tush Push was based in large measure on the prowess of Kelce. He will be dearly missed in the middle of that Eagles’ offensive line.
1: Reggie White
The number one slot on this list was really easy. Reggie White spent eight seasons with the Eagles and recorded double-digit in sacks each of those seasons. In 1987 White led the NFL in sacks with 21. He also led the NFL in sacks in 1988 with 18. White was a perennial Pro Bowler and All-Pro. He made the Pro Bowl team seven times and was named All-Pro six times while with the Eagles. Reggie was the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 1987 and 1988. He was also on the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s first team All 80s team as well as the all 90s team. Reggie White was easily the greatest Philadelphia Eagle since 1965.
