Malcolm Jenkins and Bucko Kilroy will be inducted to Eagles Hall of Fame

The Philadelphia Eagles are inducting two more players into the Eagles Hall of Fame: Super Bowl LII champion safety Malcolm Jenkins and two-time NFL champion (as a player) lineman Bucko Kilroy. The team officially announced as much on Wednesday afternoon.

Malcolm Jenkins

Jenkins, who attended Wednesday’s training camp practice as a photographer, is notably the first member of the Eagles’ first-ever Super Bowl-winning team to be inducted to the Eagles Hall of Fame. Signing him as a free agent in 2014 turned out to be a fantastic decision for the franchise, even though it wasn’t necessarily the most popular move at the time since a lot of fans preferred Jairus Byrd instead. Safe to say the Eagles ended up making the right call.

Playing for Philly in 102 games over six seasons, Jenkins never missed a start. Heck, he rarely even missed snaps. The exception is when he was resting during two blowout wins and a meaningless regular season in 2017. Jenkins played 100% of the Eagles’ defensive snaps in each of his other five seasons. Pretty incredible durability.

Including the playoffs, Jenkins made 102 starts and logged 555 total tackles, 59 passes defensed, 36 tackles for loss, 12 forced fumbles, 11 interceptions, four interceptions returned for touchdowns, and 6.5 sacks. The Eagles utilized his versatility to play him all over the field.

In addition to being a great talent as a player, Jenkins was revered for his impact off the field. He won the Byron “Whizzer” White Community MVP award in 2017, which is the highest honor the NFLPA can bestow upon a player. He’s been involved in a number of initiatives, such as the Players Coalition, in an effort to promote social justice and racial equality. He also works with empowering youth in under-served communities through The Malcolm Jenkins Foundation.

Not to mention he was also a key leader in the locker room. I’ll never forget his postgame speech following the Eagles’ win over the Los Angeles Rams where Carson Wentz suffered a season-ending knee injury. Jenkins let it be known at the time that the season wasn’t over just because the starting quarterback went down. And, sure enough, the underdog Birds went on to win Super Bowl LII.

Needless to say, Jenkins is quite deserving of this honor. He’ll formally be inducted into the Eagles’ Hall of Fame (along with Kilroy) during the team’s Week 13 game against the Chicago Bears on Friday, November 28.

Bucko Kilroy

I’m sure I’m not alone in saying Kilroy is before my time. First playing for the “Steagles” in 1943 and then just the Eagles from 1944-1955, Kilroy was a three-time Pro Bowler, two-time second-team All-Pro, and two-time NFL champion who was a two-way player as an offensive lineman and defensive lineman. Kilroy, a Philly native, also had a scouting career that began with the Eagles in 1960 and ultimately finished in 2006 before he died in 2007. As an executive, Kilroy won one NFL championship with the Eagles in 1960 before then earning three Super Bowl rings with the New England Patriots (one directly against the Eagles) as a scout consultant.

“An ironman whose name is synonymous with toughness, Kilroy did not miss a start in eight consecutive seasons. Following his playing career, Kilroy was an assistant coach with the Eagles before transitioning to player personnel for several teams. He is credited as one of the founders of the NFL Scouting Combine and helped shape the NFL Draft as fans know it today. Overall, Kilroy spent 64 seasons in the NFL as a player, coach, or executive. He has been a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame for his contributions to the game.