Pro Football Focus released its full (ostensibly scientific but still subjective) list of the 101 best players of the 2010s on Thursday, and Eagles fans won't be surprised by how the team is represented.
The list, which runs from Eric Berry at No. 101 to Tom Brady at No. 1, includes eight current or former Eagles, all of whom - big surprise - play on either the offensive or defensive lines.
Here's a look at where each Eagles representative is situated, including the years during the 2010s which they played for the Birds:
14. Evan Mathis (2011-2014)
19. Jason Peters (2010-2019)
42. Brandon Graham (2010-2019)
45. Fletcher Cox (2012-2019)
52. Jason Kelce (2011-2019)
70. Brandon Brooks (2016-2019)
74. Michael Bennett (2018)
79. Lane Johnson (2013-2019)
I've got to say, while he had an incredible decade, listing Evan Mathis all the way up at No. 14 certainly surprised me. And judging by the responses PFF recived on Twitter, other football fans felt the same way.
Something I wasn't surprised by: the complete lack of Eagles skill players appearing on the list. The list featured 16 wide receivers, four running backs, and three tight ends, and the Birds were conspicuously absent from those inclusions.
We all know that the Eagles, particularly in the Howie Roseman years, love investing in the offensive and defensive lines (just look at their draft picks) and building out from there. The fact that the Eagles could craft an entire starting offensive line, and a frightening 3-4 defensive line, from the players on this list shows that they've found some serious talent in the trenches.
NFL
Would it probably help if they had, say, just one wide receiver or running back who deemed inclusion on the list, as imperfect as it is? Absolutely. It's fair to wonder how close guys like Zach Ertz and LeSean McCoy were to landing on this list, but the fact is the Eagles simply haven't had the kind of talent at playmaking positions that they have along the lines.
And on the defensive side, a dozen cornerbacks made the list, while the Eagles spent the decade lining up guys like Bradley Fletcher and Byron Maxwell across from NFC studs like Dez Bryant, Julio Jones, and Michael Thomas.
Take it or leave it - the team missed the postseason five times from 2010 to 2019, and also won the franchise's first Super Bowl - the Eagles are who they are, and while they invested a number of resources in the wide receiver position this offseason, don't expect a great change any time soon.
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