Ranking the Top Three Eagles to Wear No. 93
Our jersey countdown to kickoff continues with the number 93, and that’s how many days remain until the Eagles open the season in Landover, Md., against the Washington Redskins on Sept. 13.
From now until then, SI.com EagleMaven will identify the three best players in Eagles history to wear the corresponding number to the days left before the season opener.
Finding three who have worn 93 wasn’t easy. There just weren’t enough playmakers who wore it, outside of our top-ranked player.
Trevor Laws was a second-round draft pick (47 overall) in 2008 but he didn’t do enough to warrant even a runner-up position.
Here are the rankings:
Number 93
Current Number 93:
Javon Hargrave. This year’s big free-agent signing, Hargrave wore No. 79 with the Pittsburgh Steelers. It was a number worn by Tim Jernigan last year, but Hargrave will rock it in 2020 and there are hefty expectations for a player who can be a game-wrecker up the middle of an offense from his defensive tackle post.
He had 14.5 sacks the past two seasons despite a somewhat limited role. With the wraps presumably being taken off this year, it should be exciting to see him paired with Fletcher Cox and even Malik Jackson occasionally.
The top 3 in team history to wear number 93:
Levon Kirkland. OK, I told you it wasn’t a stellar class of 93s, and images of Buccaneers receiver Joe Jurevicius running away from Kirkland in the middle of the field for a huge gain during the 2002 NFC Championship Game are still vivid.
Kirkland was in his final season of a standout 11-year spent mostly with the Pittsburgh Steelers when he arrived in 2002. He was, however, the veteran leader of an Eagles defense that year that ranked seventh in the league.
Tim Jernigan. It all comes down to the 2017 Super Bowl season, and Jernigan was stout next to Fletcher Cox through 15 games and in all three postseason contests. He was credited with two hits on New England QB Tom Brady in the Super Bowl LII victory.
The Eagles thought Jernigan performed so well that year they gave him a hefty contract extension. But a mysterious back injury surfaced during the offseason and Jernigan was never really the same player again. He had his moment, though, a moment that earned him a spot on this list.
Jevon Kearse. The Freak came to town as a free agent signing from the Tennessee Titans in 2004 and the Eagles went to the Super Bowl that season. There were other factors in that run to Super Bowl XXXIX, but Kearse had 7.5 sacks that first year in town at the age of 28 with two forced fumbles and a recovery.
Kearse played 45 games, with 39 starts, during four seasons in Philly and collected 22.5 sacks with 105 tackles before heading back to the Titans for his final two years.
The Eagles gave Kearse a record-breaking contract at the time worth $65 million, with a $16M signing bonus over eight years as a free agent.
Runner-up:
Greg Townsend. So what if Townsend was a lifelong Raider? Well, for the first 11 years of his career, anyway. The Eagles signed him in 1994 and he played in all 16 games, making 12 starts. He finished the year with two sacks. His 109.5 career sacks put him 23 on the NFL list for most in a career.
Others:
Tom Strauthers, John Dumbauld, Ray Phillips, David Bailey, Greg Townsend, Daniel Stubbs, Darion Conner, Pernell Davis, Coleman, Trevor Laws, Jason Babin, and Brandon Bair.
