Does One-Catch Freddie Mitchell Make the Cut?

Is a pivotal 28-yard catch on fourth-and-26 in what became an overtime playoff win against the Green Bay Packers good enough to make the top three rankings of all-time Eagles to wear the No. 84?

That is receiver Freddy Mitchell’s claim to joining the top three, as our jersey countdown to kickoff reaches 84 days until the Eagles open the regular season (hopefully) on Sept. 13 against the Washington Redskins.

The number 84 isn’t covered in glory so identifying the top three was a difficult task.

Did Mitchell make the cut?

Current number 84:

Greg Ward. It had been several years since the No. 84 made an appearance on the Eagles’ scene. Until Greg Ward got it and shined it up with a nice surge late last season, the No. 84 hadn’t been worn since Jordan Norwood had it for one year and that was back in 2009.

Ward was yo-yoed from the practice squad since signing as an undrafted free agent in 2017, but he finally stuck last year when he was promoted on Nov. 23. In the final six regular-season games, Ward had 28 catches for 254 yards and put himself in prime position for a key role in 2020.

Top 3 to wear No. 84:

3. Kenny Jackson. The fourth-overall pick out of Penn State in 1984, Jackson never really found his way to true stardom, starting just 53 of 92 games in Philly. In seven seasons with Eagles, Jackson had 122 catches for 2,139 yards and 11 touchdowns. His best season was his second one when he had 40 catches for 692 yards.

2. Mark Bavaro. The tight end was 30 by the time he played his first game with the Eagles. Already, he had given the New York Giants some of the best years of his career. He wasn’t quite done, though, as he showed in 28 games, 27 of which were starts, for the Eagles in 1992 and 1993 combined.

He had 60 catches for 696 yards and nine touchdowns in those two years and was a crowd favorite.

1. Keith Krepfle. A model of consistency after being taken in the fifth round of the 1975 NFL Draft out of Iowa State. The tight end played seven seasons and caught 19 touchdowns, with his best season coming in 1979 when he had 41 receptions for 760 yards and three scores.

In Super Bowl XV in 1981, he scored the Eagles’ only touchdown – on an 8-yard throw from Ron Jaworski – in the fourth quarter of a 27-10 loss to the Raiders.

Runner-up:

Freddie Mitchell. OK, one catch did it. Other than that, though, FredEx didn’t do a whole lot of much else, finishing his career with 90 catches for 1,263 yards and five touchdowns. Hardly enough of what the Eagles had hoped he would give them when they took him No. 25 overall in 2001.

Others:

Larry Cabrelli, Leslie Palmer, Hank Burnine, Leo Sugar, Mike Clark, Don Thompson, Jim Kelly, Richard Harris, Vyto Kab, Mike McCloskey, Kenny Jackson, Anthony Edwards, Floyd Dixon, Kelvin Martin, Freddie Solomon, Luther Broughton, Jamie Asher, Hank Baskett, and Jordan Norwood.