Every Eagles fan has had the dream of running out of the tunnel of The Linc (or The Vet) as the stadium PA announcer bellows, “At quarterback… No. 7....” before saying their name amidst a rocking crowd. The position and number may vary depending on the person, but the dream remains the same. Given that the Eagles’ rookies and UDFAs received their new uniforms last week and piggybacking off an idea from the good folks at Bleeding Green Nation Radio, I’ve decided to rank the best and most fitting jersey numbers for the Eagles roster.
It’s not as simple as deciding which numbers are the “coolest.” I’m taking into account the position the player plays, his size, his past performance and his style of play. Here are my tiered uniform numbers rankings of players on the Eagles’ current 90-man roster:
No Numbers Tier
90. OG Johnny Gibson
89. QB Cody Kessler
Yikes. No number is worse than a terrible number! No jersey numbers have been given out yet for these recent roster additions.
Shared Numbers Tier
NFL
88. RB Boston Scott #49
87. LB Alex Singleton #49
86. DT Hassan Ridgeway #64
85. OT Tyreek Burwell #66
84. DT Anthony Rush #66
83. C Keegan Render #64
82. DE Daeshon Hall #74
81. DT Kevin Wilkins #78
80. OG Sua Operta #78
79. P Cameron Johnston #1
78. OT Ryan Bates #74
77. WR Deandre Thompkins #1
As a wise man once said, “You can’t have two #1s” because that would make 11. Even if you were a stud running back wearing #25, sharing your jersey number with another player just takes away the special, unique feeling that uniform numbers create to begin with. I’m not an idiot. I know that they have to do this during the point in the offseason when you have a 90-man roster, but roll with me.
Sorry, Boston Scott, but #49 may just be the worst running back number of all time. Feels like the number for a fourth-string fullback on a JV football squad.
The Special Teamers Are People Too Tier
76. LS Rick Lovato #45
75. K Jake Elliott #4
Every long snapper’s goal should be that no one in the fan base knows his number because that means he didn’t screw up at some point.
The I Wish I Wasn’t Born a Lineman Tier
74. C Anthony Fabiano #63
73. OG Nate Berbig #67
72. DE Vinny Curry #75
71. DE Shareef Miller #76
70. OL Stefan Wisniewski #61
69. OG Brandon Brooks #79
68. OT Jordan Mailata #68
67. OL Isaac Seumalo #73
66. OT Andre Dillard #77
65. OT Lane Johnson #65
64. OT Jason Peters #71
63. OT Halapoulivaati Vaitai #72
62. C Jason Kelce #62
Every big-for-their-age adolescent who got stuck playing lineman in CYO and Pop Warner football, much like myself, was extremely jealous of all their smaller friends who got better numbers while they were stuck with the 60s and 70s like a complete afterthought. I feel these linemen’s pain in my hearts, but I cannot lie. These numbers suck.
The “Who Is That Guy?” Tier
61. CB Jay Liggins #46
60. CB Josh Hawkins #48
59. CB Blake Countess #39
58. DB Jeremiah McKinnon #38
57. S Deiondre’ Hall #36
56. S Tre Sullivan #37
55. TE Richard Rodgers #82
54. DB Godwin Igwebuike #33
53. WR Marken Michel #80
52. TE Joshua Perkins #83
51. TE Will Tyle #85
50. WR Braxton Miller #89
49. RB Donnel Pumphrey #35
48. LB BJ Bello #59
47. LB Zach Brown #51
46. S Andrew Sendejo #42
45. LB Joey Alfieri #50
44. LB LJ Fort #58
43. LB Paul Worrilow #52
42. LB TJ Edwards #57
41. RB Josh Adams #33
40. LB Nathan Gerry #47
39. LB Kamu Grugier-Hill #54
These are the players your dad may angrily ask you, “Who is that guy?!?” in the middle of third quarter of a game in late October if they’re on the field. Forgettable numbers from non-marquee players.
The DB Tier
38. CB Jalen Mills #31
37. CB Avonte Maddox #29
36. CB Rasul Douglas #32
35. CB Cre’Von LeBlanc #34
34. S Rodney McLeod #23
33. CB Ronald Darby #21
32. CB Sidney Jones #22
Even bad defensive back numbers are better than almost any other position’s good numbers. #22 is the second-best of them (#20 is tops obviously). It’s being wasted on Sidney Jones. Another disappointing season from the Washington product may result in him needing to give his number away to Avonte Maddox, who is stuck with #29 likely as the result of being a fourth-round pick last year.
Super Bowl Heroes Tier
31. RB Corey Clement #30
30. LB Nigel Bradham #53
29. S Malcolm Jenkins #27
28. DE Chris Long #56 (on the team technically for now)
27. DE Brandon Graham #55
Not the best numbers ever, but the above players’ success has brought them to folk hero status in Philly and I will always associate each of these numbers with them.
The Rules Need to Be Changed Tier
26. WR Greg Ward #6
25. WR Charles Johnson #3
Skill position players should be allowed to wear single-digit numbers that otherwise fall to quarterbacks and special teamers during the regular season. There’s no reason that a guy like DeSean Jackson shouldn’t be allowed to wear #1 like he was in college at Cal. He would look even more electrifying than usual. Players like this just feel effortlessly cool. The NFL should think hard about overhauling their old school uniform number system with this change in mind.
The Nice Tier
24. OL Matt Pryor #69
Nice. Nice.
Sweet Spot Running Back Tier
23. RB Wendell Smallwood #28
22. RB Jordan Howard #24
21. RB Miles Sanders #26
Every running back seems faster with a number in the 20s. If your number is in the 30s, I assume you run a 5.3 40-yard dash.
The I Hope This Guy Doesn’t Play One Meaningful Snap Tier
20. QB Clayton Thorson #8
19. QB Nate Sudfeld #7
Everyone wants to be a quarterback. #7 is the best number of all time. It’s not debatable. A stud number for Nate STUDfeld.
The 1991 Eagles Memorial Tier
18. DE Josh Sweat #94
17. DE Joe Ostman #95
16. DT Bruce Hector #98
15. DT Treyvon Hester #90
14. DT Malik Jackson #97
13. DT Timmy Jernigan #93
12. DE Derek Barnett #96
11. DT Fletcher Cox #91
Throw it back to a trio of dudes just known by their first names. Reggie. Jerome. Clyde. Jersey numbers in the 90s are the perfect move for defensive linemen.
The Modern Receiver Tier
10. WR Carlton Agudosi #14
9. WR Shelton Gibson #18
8. WR Mack Hollins #16
7. WR JJ Arcega-Whiteside #19
6. WR Nelson Agholor #13
5. WR Alshon Jeffery #17
If you’re a traditionalist, you may think it’s sacrilegious for wide receivers to wear anything other than a number in the 80s. If you came up in the era of Twitter while watching DeAndre Hopkins and Odell Beckham Jr. making absurd one-handed catches every week, you’ll (correctly) think receivers wearing a number in the teens is the new wave.
James Thrash and Freddie Mitchell haunt me too much even all these years later to really dig 80s on receivers.
The 12 Personnel Tier
4. TE Zach Ertz #86
3. TE Dallas Goedert #88
I’m one Dallas Goedert red zone touchdown against an NFC East team away from stumbling into the Eagles Pro Shop after a couple of Miller Lites and dropping $100 on his jersey. The league’s best tight end duo deserves these numbers. #88 is great for a straight overpowering beast and #86 is ideal for the nimble, masterful route-runner.
The Franchise Player Tier
2. QB Carson Wentz #11
#11 in your programs, but #1 in your hearts.
The Fastest Man Alive Tier
1. WR DeSean Jackson #10
#10 is the perfect number for a 5-10 wideout with game-breaking speed who’s been a threat to take it 80 yards to the house every time he’s touched the ball for the last decade. The only way this could be better, as I said above, is if the NFL allowed him to wear #1.
I’m going to go try to find an old black Reebok DJacc jersey on eBay now.
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