The Philadelphia Eagles played their first game in 1933 and have grown into one of the most popular and beloved franchises in the NFL. The Eagles have won three NFL Championships (1948, 1949, 1960) and one Super Bowl, following their Cinderella campaign in 2017.
Philadelphia has also won the NFC Championship four times in the Super Bowl era (in 1980, 2004, 2017, and 2022) and has produced some of the most iconic moments in sports. One example? When the Eagles beat Vince Lombardi’s Green Bay Packers, 17-13, in the 1960 NFL championship. That was the only playoff loss of Lombardi’s storied career. We touch on several more below.
Known for having one of the most passionate fan bases in the NFL, often referred to as “Eagles Nation,” the Eagles have had innumerable great players, making the task of compiling this list a very difficult one. We tried to stick with players whose impact is the longest lasting, and those who helped lead the team to prominence got special favor, as well. That’s largely why we chose four quarterbacks for this list, each with his own unique contributions. Who made the cut? Read on to find out.
*Note: All championships, awards and stats listed below are from each player’s tenure with the Eagles only. All stats/awards are from Pro Football Reference unless otherwise stated.
10. Lane Johnson, OL
GettyLane Johnson of the Philadelphia Eagles.
- Years as an Eagle: 2013-present
- Championships & awards:
- Super Bowl champion (2018)
- 2-time First-team All-Pro (2017, 2022)
- 2-time Second-team All-Pro (2021, 2023)
- 5-time Pro Bowl selection (2017–2019, 2022, 2023)
- Career regular season stats:
- 146 starts
- Career postseason stats:
- 11 games
- Iconic performance: November 27, 2022, vs. the Packers, Johnson and the Eagles offensive line helped the running game amass 363 yards, the most the team gained on the ground since 1948.
Lane Johnson set an NFL record in 2022 by not allowing a single sack in 26 consecutive games, according to PFF, reinforcing his reputation as one of the league’s premier pass blockers. Between 2019 and 2024, the Eagles had a 39-22-1 record when Johnson was in the lineup, compared to an 8-13 record without him. He was also a crucial part of the team’s Super Bowl victory in 2018.
9. Ron Jaworski, QB
GettyFormer Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski.
- Years as an Eagle: 1977-1986
- Awards:
- NFL Player of the Year (1980)
- Pro Bowl (1980)
- Career regular season stats:
- 142 games (137 starts)
- 69-67-1 record
- 53.3 completion percentage
- 26,963 passing yards
- 175 TDs
- 151 INTs
- 772 rushing yards
- 12 rushing TDs
- Career postseason stats:
- 3-4 record
- 45.6 completion percentage
- 1,319 yards
- 9 TDs
- 8 INTs
- Iconic performance: December 23, 1979, in the NFC wild card round against the Chicago Bears at home, Jaworski threw for 204 yards and 2 TDs in his first playoff win with Philly.
Ron Jaworski played a key role in the team’s resurgence in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Known for his leadership, arm strength, and ability to guide the team to clutch wins, “Jaws” set a record by starting 116 consecutive games for the Eagles from 1977 to 1984. He helped turn the Eagles from a struggling team into an NFL powerhouse, notably clinching the franchise’s first Super Bowl appearance. Although they fell to the Raiders in that game, Jaworski’s performance cemented his place in Eagles history.
8. Randall Cunningham, QB
GettyFormer Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Randall Cunningham.
- Years as an Eagle: 1985-1995
- Awards:
- NFL Player of the Year (1988, 1990)
- UPI NFC Offensive Player of the Year (1990)
- NFL Comeback Player of the Year (1992)
- Second-team All-Pro (1988)
- 3-time Pro Bowl selection (1988–1990)
- Career regular season stats:
- 122 games (107 starts)
- 63-43-1 record
- 55.7 completion percentage
- 22,877 passing yards
- 150 TDs
- 105 INTs
- 4,482 rushing yards
- 32 rushing TDs
- Career postseason stats:
- 5 starts (1-4 record)
- 52.8 completion percentage
- 1,390 passing yards
- 3 TDs
- 6 INTs
- 206 rushing yards
- 1 rushing TD
- Iconic performance: November 4, 1990, at home vs. the New England Patriots, Cunningham became the first quarterback in NFL history to rush for more than 100 yards and pass for 4 touchdowns in the same game in the Eagles’ 48-20 win.
It’s fair to say Randall Cunningham revolutionized the quarterback position with his dual-threat ability, excelling both as a passer and as a runner. His 4,482 rushing yards with the Eagles was a record for quarterbacks (the current record holder is Michael Vick, with 6,109 yards). Cunningham’s ability to extended plays with his legs made him one of the hardest QBs of his generation to defend. Voted one of the NFL’s 100 greatest game changers of all time, Cunningham’s rare combination of deep ball accuracy and skill as a runner make him a worthy addition on this list.
7. Nick Foles, QB
GettyNick Foles celebrates following victory over the New England Patriots in the 2018 Super Bowl.
- Years as an Eagle: 2012-2014, 2017-2018
- Championships & awards:
- Super Bowl Champion (2018)
- Super Bowl MVP (2018)
- Pro Bowl Selection (2013)
- Career regular season stats:
- 40 games (32 starts)
- 21-11 record
- 62.9 completion percentage
- 8,703 passing yards
- 58 TDs
- 23 INTs
- 351 rushing yards
- 4 rushing TDs
- Career postseason stats:
- 6 games (4-2 record)
- 1,633 yards
- 11 touchdowns
- 5 interceptions
- 1 rushing TD
- 1 receiving TD
- Iconic performance: “Philly Special,” anyone? In the team’s Super Bowl win over the Patriots in 2018, tight end Trey Burton threw the ball to a wide-open Foles in the end zone, and Foles caught it for a touchdown. It remains one of the most famed plays in Super Bowl history.
Nick Foles’ inclusion on the list is largely because he remains the only quarterback to ever win a Super Bowl with the team — and his performance is the stuff legends are made of. Foles was named Super Bowl MVP and became the first player in NFL history to throw and catch a touchdown in the Super Bowl, thanks to that “Philly Special.” Foles also outperformed legendary quarterback Tom Brady in that game, throwing 373 yards and 3 TDs passes in Philadelphia’s 41-33 win.
6. Harold Carmichael, WR
GettyHarold Carmichael, a member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame Centennial Class, receives his gold jacket.
- Years as an Eagle: 1971-1983
- Championships & awards:
- NFL Man of the Year (1980)
- 2-time Second-team All-Pro (1973, 1979)
- 4-time Pro Bowl selection (1973, 1978–1980)
- Pro Football Hall of Fame selection (2020)
- Career regular season stats:
- 180 games (160 starts)
- 589 receptions
- 8,978 receiving yards
- 79 receiving TDs
- Career postseason stats:
- 7 games
- 29 receptions
- 465 yards
- 6 TDs
- Iconic performance: Carmichael had 12 catches for 187 yards and two scores against the Cardinals on October 14, 1973.
Harold Carmichael played tight end as a rookie before getting moved to wide receiver, where he excelled for over a decade. According to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Carmichael set a then-NFL record by catching a pass in 127 consecutive games from 1972 to 1980. The tallest WR in NFL history, the 6-foot-8 Carmichael was a nearly unstoppable red-zone threat. His influence on the game, especially for tall receivers, is still felt in modern NFL planning and strategy.
5. Donovan McNabb, QB
GettyEx-Eagles quarterback Donovan McNabb.
- Years as an Eagle: 1999-2009
- Awards:
- 6-time Pro Bowl selection
- Career regular season stats:
- 148 games (142 starts)
- 92-49-1 record
- 59.0 completion percentage
- 32,873 passing yards
- 216 TDs
- 100 INTs
- 3,249 rushing yards
- 28 rushing TDs
- Career postseason stats:
- 9-7 record
- 59.1 completion percentage
- 3,752 yards
- 24 TDs
- 17 INTs
- 422 rushing yards
- 4 rushing TDs
- Iconic performance: 2002 regular season, Week 11 vs. the Cardinals. McNabb went 20-25 for 255 yards and 4 TDs in the Eagles’ 38-14 win.
Donovan McNabb played 11 seasons with the team (1999–2009), leading them to eight playoff appearances, five NFC Championship games, and one Super Bowl appearance in 2004. Despite losing that Super Bowl to Patriots, McNabb’s leadership cemented his legacy as one of the franchise’s best quarterbacks. McNabb remains No. 1 on Philly’s all-time passing leaders chart, leading in yardage, TDs and game-winning drives (22).
4. Brian Dawkins, Safety
GettyFormer Eagles DB Brian Dawkins.
- Years as an Eagle: 1996-2008
- Awards:
- 4-time First-team All-Pro (2001, 2002, 2004, 2006)
- 7-time Pro Bowl selection (1999, 2001, 2002, 2004–2006, 2008)
- Pro Football Hall of Fame selection (2018)
- Career regular season stats:
- 183 games (182 starts)
- 914 tackles
- 45 tackles-for-loss
- 34 INTs
- 2 defensive TDs
- 32 forced fumbles
- 16 fumble recoveries
- 21.0 sacks
- Career postseason stats:
- 18 games
- 84 tackles
- 3 tackles-for-loss
- 2.0 sacks
- 3 forced fumbles
- 4 INTs
- Iconic performance: 2002 vs. the Houston Texans, Dawkins had the “Quadrafecta Game,” in which he became the first NFL player to record a sack, recover a fumble, intercept a pass, and a catch a receiving touchdown.
One of the most iconic players in Eagles history, Brian Dawkins was renowned for his intensity, leadership and dominance as a safety. The Eagles’ all-time leader in forced fumbles with 32, he played 183 games with the team, the most by any defensive back in franchise history at the time of his retirement. His 21 sacks are also impressive for a defensive back. Dawkins remains one of Philly’s most beloved players, both for his production and his character on and off the field.
3. Chuck Bednarik, LB/Center
Wikimedia Commons1952 Bowman football card featuring the Eagles’ Chuck Bednarik.
- Years as an Eagle: 1949-1962
- Championships & awards:
- 2-time NFL champion (1949, 1960)
- 10-time First-team All-Pro (1950–1957, 1960, 1961)
- 8-time Pro Bowl selection (1950–1954, 1956, 1957, 1960)
- Pro Football Hall of Fame selection (1967)
- Career regular season stats:
- 169 games (166 starts)
- 21 fumble recoveries
- 20 INTs
- 1 defensive TD
- Iconic performance: “The Hit” comes to mind first. On November 20, 1960, on the road vs. the New York Giants, in a game for first place in the division, Bednarik leveled Giants running back Frank Gifford with a legal hit so devastating, Gifford not only fumbled, he was sent to the hospital. It was ranked the 44th greatest play in NFL history.
Any list of great Eagles players wouldn’t be complete without Chuck Bednarik‘s name on it. Tackling stats weren’t kept when he led the Eagles to two NFL championships, but his impact was always felt. Known as the “60-Minute Man” for playing both offense and defense without substitution, Bednarik was one of the last players to do so regularly, playing center on offense and linebacker on defense throughout his 14-year career. He was a definite original.
2. Jason Kelce, Center
GettyFormer Eagles center Jason Kelce.
- Years as an Eagle: 2011-2023
- Championships & awards:
- Super Bowl champion (2018)
- 6-time First-team All-Pro (2017–2019, 2021–2023)
- 7-time Pro Bowl selection (2014, 2016, 2019–2023)
- Career regular season stats:
- 193 games
- Career postseason stats:
- 12 games
- Iconic performance: The 2017 NFC conference championship vs. the Minnesota Vikings, Kelce and the O-line led the Eagles to a 38-7 rout.
A surefire first-ballot Hall of Famer, Jason Kelce is as beloved in Philly as it gets. The durable center became a starter as a rookie in 2011, one of only a few sixth-round draft picks to become a full-time starter in their first year in the modern NFL era. In 2022, Kelce broke the Eagles’ franchise record for most consecutive starts by an offensive lineman, surpassing Jon Runyan’s record. He also served as one of the team’s captains for several seasons, and his leadership both on and off the field made him a fan favorite.
1. Reggie White, DL
GettyReggie White remains an Eagles legend.
- Years as an Eagle: 1985-1992
- Awards:
- NFL Defensive Player of the Year (1987)
- 2-time UPI NFC Defensive Player of the Year (1987, 1991)
- 6-time First-team All-Pro (1986–1991)
- Second-team All-Pro (1992)
- 7-time Pro Bowl selection (1986–1998)
- Pro Football Hall of Fame selection (2006)
- Career regular season stats:
- 121 games (120 starts)
- 794 tackles
- 124.0 sacks
- 11 fumble recoveries
- 2 INTs
- 18 forced fumbles
- 2 defensive TDs
- Career postseason stats:
- 5 games
- 4.0 sacks
- 1 safety
- Iconic performance: November 30, 1986, vs. the Raiders, White amassed 4.0 sacks in Philly’s 33-27 win.
Reggie White was an absolute force as a pass rusher. While he later excelled with the Packers, his tenure with the Eagles remains one of the most productive and celebrated in NFL history. His 124 sacks remains an Eagles franchise record, and his leadership with the team was unparalleled. White was the cornerstone of the Eagles’ ‘D’ during Buddy Ryan’s coaching tenure, and his combination of speed, power, and technique made him the nearly unstoppable leader of the “Gang Green” defense.
Check out our 11th pick in the comments below, and let us know who you’d add to the list!
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The 10 Best Eagles Players of All Time, Ranked