One Season with No. 39 is all Sheldon Brown Needed

Our jersey countdown to kickoff continues with Sheldon Brown.

If you’re an Eagles fan you will remember the efficient, hard-hitting cornerback wearing No. 24 but it’s 39 days away from the presumed season-opener against the Washington Football team so what gives?

Well, the South Carolina product is also the best No. 39 in franchise history, which tells you a few things - that uniform number doesn’t exactly have a storied history and Brown hit the ground running as a rookie second-round pick in 2002.

That was the only season Brown wore No. 39 as he laid the groundwork that would turn him into a full-time starter by his third season and throughout the rest of an eight-year tenure in Philadelphia.

Brown was a playmaking nickel back as a freshman, intercepting two passes and adding a sack, a forced fumble and four passes defended.

By 2003, Brown moved on to his more familiar No. 24 and eventually teamed with Bobby Taylor to give defensive coordinator Jim Johnson an excellent pair of cornerbacks for years.

Current number 39:

Craig James. James arrived after being waived in Minnesota last season and quickly became one of Dave Fipp’s best special teams players, finishing second on the team in ST tackles behind T.J. Edwards with 12. James was the team’s most effective gunner on punt coverage but is perhaps best known for being forced into action late at Green Bay when Avonte Maddox went down with a scary injury.

With the game on the line and Packers facing a second-and-goal from the 3-yard line with less than 30 seconds left Green Bay All-World quarterback Aaron Rodgers quickly identified James was on the field and attempted to essentially tie with the game with a pass to Marquez Valdes-Scandling. The little-used James, however, was up to the task and deflected the ball resulting in a Nigel Bradham interception, sealing a 34-27 Philadelphia win.

James, originally an undrafted free agent by the Vikings who played at both the University of Minnesota and Southern Illinois, faces a tough numbers game with the Eagles adding starters Darius Slay and Nickell Robey-Coleman at CB in the offseason. His road to a roster spot will be a difficult one but Fipp will likely be pounding the table for James.

Top 3 to wear number 39:

3. Tony Brooks. Brooks was a fourth-round pick out of Notre Dame in 1992 as a running back and ended up playing only five games for the franchise. He’s probably better known now for being the father of Vikings star linebacker Anthony Barr.

2. Quintin Demps. Demps played a decade in the NFL and it started in Philadelphia where he was a fourth-round pick out of UTEP in 2008. Demps spent two seasons with the Eagles as a safety and kick returner with his larger impact coming in the latter role.

As a rookie Demps finished fourth in the NFL in kickoff-return yardage, averaging 25.3 yards per return with a 100-yard return against Baltimore. He also saw some spotty action on defense and had had 18 tackles and a sack.

By 2009, Demps started to fall out of favor and lost to Macho Harris in a battle for a starting job. By the next season, he was waived and ultimately on to the Houston Texans after a short stint in the old United Football League. Demps spent five of his 10 pro seasons with the Texans over two stints and became a starter at strong safety in the latter one during the 2015 and 2016 seasons.

1. Sheldon Brown. Brown will certainly be in the mix at No. 24 as well although old-timers will remind you about Nate Ramsey. Either way, he was the most impactful player who ever wore the No. 39 for Philadelphia.

Runner-up:

Chandon Sullivan. Sullivan was forced into action back in 2018 as an undrafted rookie out of Georgia State, playing in five games and even starting one. He wasn’t ready although he learned from his time in the fire and caught on in Green Bay last season where he played in all 16 games and two more in the playoffs. ESPN recently named Sullivan as one of the top 25 players under 25 who could break out in 2020.

Others: Harry Benson, Bob Pylman, Foster Watkins, Bill Mackrides, Pete Emelianchik, Kermit Alexander, Bill Olds, Bob Torrey, Major Everett, Victor Bellamy, Corey Walker, Michael Reed, Stanley Havili, Matthew Tucker, and Byron Marshall.

-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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