Philadelphia Sports: Top 10 athletes from last decade (2010-19)

No. 6: Malcolm Jenkins

There can never be another Dawkins, but the Eagles found the next best thing this decade when they signed Malcolm Jenkins away from the New Orleans Saints back in March 2014.

The move was seen as one that made sense at the time, but one that wasn’t likely to be earth-shattering. But Jenkins has gone on to show his vital importance to the team with his leadership on and off the field.

It’s a lot more difficult to wow somebody with numbers when it comes to defensive players. “Three interceptions in 2016” just doesn’t carry the same weight as gaudy stats like McCoy’s rushing yardage or Ertz’s catch total. But suffice it to say that Jenkins has been one of the best in the league at his position for an extended period of time, as evidence by three Pro Bowl selections during his time with the Birds.

Jenkins won a Super Bowl as a rookie with the Saints a decade ago, and I don’t think you can totally discount a young player being a part of something that big at the start of their career. When you add his natural talent to learning what it takes to win at an early age, the end product is a player like Jenkins who has shown himself to be the beating heart of the Eagles’ defense for six seasons.

He’s not quite Dawkins, but they did a pretty good job replicating the DNA.