Hugh Douglas 'Rushes' to the Top Spot at No. 53
One of the better edge rushers in franchise history defines the Eagles and No. 53.
Hugh Douglas was once a first-round pick of the New York Jets but found his footing as an NFL star after being traded to Philadelphia before the 1998 season.
Over Douglas’ two stints and six seasons with the Eagles, he was a three-time Pro Bowl selection and a two-time, first-team All-Pro.
His first run with the organization lasted five seasons (1998 to 2002) and one of those was cut to just four games due to injury. Playing weak-side defensive end Douglas reached double-digit sack numbers in three of the other campaigns with the high-water mark being 15.0. The one season Douglas didn’t get to opposing quarterbacks in double digits, he ended with 9.5 sacks.
The consistency was amazing and despite the rather short shelf life, Douglas is still ranked fourth in franchise history with 54.5 sacks behind only Reggie White, Trent Cole, and Clyde Simmons.
After a short-one-year stint in Jacksonville, Douglas returned to finish his career during the 2004 season with the Eagles.
He was so well-liked that after Philadelphia parted ways before the 2005 campaign the organization hired Douglas as a "Good-Will Ambassador."
In November of that season, however, Douglas was involved in a physical altercation that contributed to Terrell Owens’ divorce with the Eagles.
Current number 53:
Jatavis Brown. The latest “cost-effective” signing at the position in the wake of failed experiments like Corey Nelson and L.J. Fort, the speedy Brown fits what the Eagles want at LB, at least from a traits standpoint, and will be among a cast of thousands working for a role in both the 4-3 base and nickel defenses.
Brown, 26, also fits the mold of what the Eagles are looking for as a young player coming off his rookie deal after being chosen by the Chargers in the fifth round of the 2016 draft.
A bit undersized at 5-foot-11 and 221 pounds, Brown took a step back in the 2019 season with the Chargers, however, starting only one game and amassing just 10 tackles. Previously he had pitched in as a starter at both the middle and weakside LB position at times with the Chargers, topping out at 97 tackles in 2018, a number which was second on the team.
Nate Gerry is penciled in as the one Eagles’ LB who will never leave the field and second-year player T.J. Edwards is expected to take over the 'mike' role in the 4-3 base defense while also attempting to hold off players like Duke Riley, Brown and rookie Davion Taylor in the nickel defense.
The latter group will also compete to the final spot in the 4-3 base which is only on the field about 20 percent of the time these days, as well as being core special-teamers for Dave Fipp.
Top 3 to wear number 53:
3. Bill Romanowski. Romanowski is better known for his work outside of Philadelphia during what was a 16-year NFL career in which he was a part of four different Super Bowl winners. He did spend two seasons as a starting outside LB in Philadelphia (1994-95), however, where he played in all 32 games and amassed 3.5 sacks.
Known for being a nasty player if you feel like being kind or a dirty one if you're not, Romo was once ejected as a member of the Eagles for kicking Arizona fullback Larry Centers in the head.
2. Nigel Bradham. A favorite of Jim Schwartz dating back to Buffalo, Bradham was brought in on a two-year deal before the 2016 season and ultimately developed into a four-year starter in Philadelphia, starting out as the running mate to Jordan Hicks before ultimately becoming the three-down LB on the defense due to Hicks’ injury troubles.
By last season, with Hicks in Arizona, Bradham was the guy when healthy despite a strange no-call, no-show in the preseason, missing the team bus for the final exhibition against the New York Jets and later in the campaign missing a scheduled rehab appointment that had at least some in the organization advocating for his release.
Bradham also had the issues from 2016 when he was charged with aggravated battery for punching a cabana boy at a Miami Beach hotel and later that year brought a loaded gun to the Miami airport.
On the field Bradham, 30, started all 64 regular-season games he played for the Eagles which includes the postseason and Super Bowl LII where he recorded seven tackle and one QB hit while playing 100 percent of the snaps during the biggest win in franchise history.
The Eagles declined the option on Bradham's contract back in February and he remains unsigned as training camps get set to begin.
1. Hugh Douglas. Douglas remained in the area after retiring and got into broadcasting, both television and radio before leaving for a short stint at ESPN. Douglas currently works in Atlanta as a radio personality for that market’s top sports station.
Runner-up:
Alex Wojciechowicz. Although not known to most Wojciechowicz is the best player to ever wear the No. 53 for the Eagles, a two-way player who was named to the 1940s All-Decade Team and won two world championships as a member of the Detriot Lions. Wojciechowicz is also in the Eagles Hall of Fame but he was winding down his career when he joined Philadelphia, starting only 15 of the 48 games he played for the franchise.
In 1947, the lone season Wojciechowicz was the Eagles' starting center, the team went 8-4 and lost to the Chicago Cardinals in the 1947 NFL Championship Game.
Others: Walt Masters, Ken Farragut, Bob Pellegrini, John Simerson, Bob Butler, Harold Wells, Fred Whittingham, Dick Absher, Dennis Franks, Fred Smalls, Jody Schulz, Dwayne Jiles, Maurice Henry, Ivan Caesar, John Roper, N.D. Kalu, Mark Simoneau, Moise Fokou, Ryan Rau, and Najee Goode
John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Friday on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, and every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen
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