Philadelphia Eagles The
Philadelphia Eagles selected Dawkins in the second round (61st overall) of the
1996 NFL draft. Dawkins was the fifth safety drafted in 1996. The Philadelphia Eagles drafted Dawkins using a compensatory pick they received from the departure of
Seth Joyner in free agency in 1994.
1996 On July 16, 1996, the
Philadelphia Eagles signed Dawkins to a four-year, $1.27 million rookie contract that included a signing bonus of $443,000. Dawkins entered training camp slated as the backup free safety behind
Eric Zomalt who earned the starting role after
Greg Jackson departed in free agency. Head coach
Ray Rhodes named Dawkins the backup free safety to start the regular season, behind Eric Zomalt. He made his professional regular-season debut in the
Philadelphia Eagles' season-opener at the
Washington Redskins and made one tackle in their 17–14 victory. The following week, Dawkins earned his first career start and collected a season-high 11 combined tackles during a 39–13 loss at the
Green Bay Packers in week 2. On September 18, 1996, head coach Ray Rhodes officially named Dawkins the starting free safety, alongside strong safety
Mike Zordich, after he surpassed Eric Zomalt on the depth chart. Zomalt was subsequently released the following day. In week 5, he recorded eight combined tackles, forced a fumble, and made his first career sack in the Eagles' 23–19 loss to the
Dallas Cowboys. Dawkins made his first career sack on Cowboys' quarterback
Troy Aikman during the third quarter and also stripped the ball during the play. The ball was recovered by Dawkins' teammate
Rhett Hall and returned for a 32-yard touchdown. He finished his rookie season in
1996 with 75 combined tackles, three interceptions, a sack, and a forced fumble in 14 games and 13 starts. The Philadelphia Eagles' defense ranked 21st in the league overall, but allowed the sixth-fewest passing yards (2,979 yards) in 1996. The Philadelphia Eagles finished second in the
NFC East with a 10–6 record and earned a wildcard berth. On December 29, 1996, Dawkins started in his first career playoff game and recorded six combined tackles as they lost 14–0 to the
San Francisco 49ers in the NFC Wild Card Game. On September 28, 1997, he collected a season-high eight combined tackles during a 28–19 loss at the
Minnesota Vikings in week 5. Dawkins was inactive for a week 8 victory against the
Arizona Cardinals due to an injury. On December 7, 1997, Dawkins recorded seven combined tackles and returned an interception for his first career touchdown during the Eagles' 32–21 loss to the
New York Giants in week 15. Dawkins intercepted a pass by quarterback
Danny Kanell, that was initially thrown to wide receiver
Chris Calloway, and returned it for a 64-yard touchdown in the third quarter. He finished the 1997 season with 75 combined tackles, three interceptions, and a touchdown in 15 games and 15 starts. The Eagles' defense finished ranked 24th overall, but allowed the seventh-fewest passing yards (2,923 yards) in 1997.
1998 Head coach Ray Rhodes elected to retain the starting secondary for the second consecutive season. On December 7, 1998, Dawkins collected a season-high eight combined tackles and forced a fumble during a 31–21 loss to the
New York Giants in week 15. Dawkins was sidelined for two games (Weeks 7–9) due to an injury. Dawkins finished the
1998 season with 55 combined tackles, two interceptions, a sack, and a forced fumble in 14 games and 14 starts. On December 28, 1998, the Philadelphia Eagles fired head coach Ray Rhodes after they finished with a 3–13 record in 1998.
1999 On July 16, 1999, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Dawkins to a three-year, $1.27 million contract. In week 3, he made six combined tackles, forced a fumble, and made an interception during a 26–0 loss at the
Buffalo Bills. Dawkins intercepted a pass by quarterback
Doug Flutie, that was originally intended for wide receiver
Peerless Price, in the second quarter. His performance was his third consecutive game with an interception. In week 9, he collected a season-high eight combined tackles in the Eagles' 33–7 loss at the
Carolina Panthers. He finished the 1999 season with 73 combined tackles, six forced fumbles, four interceptions, 1.5 sacks, and a touchdown in 14 games and 14 starts. Dawkins flourished in his first season under defensive coordinator
Jim Johnson and was subsequently named to the
2000 Pro Bowl, marking the first
Pro Bowl selection of his career. Dawkins finished the 2000 season with a total of 75 combined tackles, four interceptions, two sacks, and a forced fumble in 13 games and 13 starts.
2001 Head coach Andy Reid retained the core of the starting secondary as the starters, including Dawkins, Troy Vincent, and Bobby Taylor. Dawkins was paired with starting strong safety
Damon Moore in 2001. He started in the
Philadelphia Eagles' season-opener against the
St. Louis Rams and collected a season-high eight combined tackles and deflected three passes in their 20–17 loss. On December 9, 2001, Dawkins tied his season-high of eight combined tackles, broke up two passes, forced a fumble, and returned a fumble recovery for a touchdown during the Eagles' 24–14 win against the
San Diego Chargers in week 13. Dawkins forced a fumble by Chargers' running back
LaDainian Tomlinson in the first quarter and recovered the ball before returning it for a 49-yard touchdown. On December 16, 2001, he made six solo tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted two passes by quarterback
Tony Banks in the Eagles' 20–6 victory against the
Washington Redskins in week 14. He finished the season with 68 combined tackles (56 solo), 14 passes defensed, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, 1.5 sacks, and a touchdown in 15 games and 15 starts. On January 3, 2002, Dawkins was one of five Philadelphia Eagles' players named to the
2002 Pro Bowl. The Philadelphia Eagles finished first in the NFC East with an 11–5 record. Head coach Andy Reid opted to rest Dawkins for the Eagles' week 17 victory at the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they had already clinched a playoff berth. On January 12, 2002, Dawkins recorded two combined tackles, broke up two passes, and made an interception during a 31–9 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card Game. The following week, they defeated the
Chicago Bears 33–19 in the NFC Divisional Round. On January 27, 2002, Dawkins recorded six solo tackles and deflected a pass as the Eagles lost 29–24 at the
St. Louis Rams in the NFC Championship Game.
2002 Head coach
Andy Reid named Dawkins the starting free safety to begin the regular season, alongside strong safety
Blaine Bishop. The secondary also included returning cornerbacks Troy Vincent, Bobby Taylor, and
Al Harris. On September 29, 2002, Dawkins recorded six combined tackles, a sack, two pass deflections, an interception, forced a fumble, and caught his first career touchdown pass during a 35–17 victory against the
Houston Texans in week 4. Dawkins' 57-yard touchdown reception came on a shuffle pass by running back
Brian Mitchell during a fake punt in the third quarter. Dawkins became the first player in NFL history to make a sack, an interception, recover a fumble, and have a
touchdown reception in a single game. In week 17, he collected a season-high ten combined tackles (seven solo) during a 10–7 loss at the
New York Giants. Dawkins started all 16 games in
2002 and recorded 91 combined tackles (62 solo), nine passes defensed, five forced fumbles, three sacks, two interceptions, and one touchdown reception. The
Philadelphia Eagles finished first in the NFC East with a 12–4 record and earned a first-round bye. On January 11, 2003, Dawkins made four combined tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception during a 20–6 victory against the
Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Divisional Round. They were eliminated from the playoffs the following week after losing 27–10 to the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship Game.
2003 On April 28, 2003, the Philadelphia Eagles signed Dawkins to a six-year, $43 million contract extension that included a
signing bonus of $8 million. The contract extension was added to the one year Dawkins had remaining on his pre-existing contract. Dawkins remained the starting free safety in 2003 and was coached by defensive backs coach Steve Spagnuolo and assistant defensive backs coach
Sean McDermott. Head coach
Andy Reid named Dawkins the starter to begin the regular season, along with starting strong safety
Michael Lewis and cornerbacks Troy Vincent, Bobby Taylor, and
Lito Sheppard. He started in the
Philadelphia Eagles' season-opener against the
Tampa Bay Buccaneers and collected a season-high nine combined tackles before exiting in the fourth quarter of their 17–0 loss due to a sprained ankle. His injury sidelined him for the next eight games (Weeks 2–10). Dawkins was also inactive for the Eagles' week 12 win against the
New Orleans Saints due to a foot injury. He finished the
2003 season with 35 combined tackles (28 solo), five pass deflections, an interception, and was credited with half a sack in seven games and seven starts. The following week, they lost to the
Carolina Panthers 14–3 in the NFC Championship Game after Eagles' quarterback
Donovan McNabb was intercepted three times by Panthers' safety
Ricky Manning.
2004 Dawkins and Michael Lewis returned as the starting safety duo and also played alongside cornerbacks Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown after Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor departed in free agency. On November 7, 2004, Dawkins collected a season-high nine solo tackles, broke up a pass, and made an interception during a 27–3 loss at the
Pittsburgh Steelers. In week 14, he made six combined tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception in the Eagles' 17–14 win at the
Washington Redskins. He finished the
2004 season with 69 combined tackles (64 solo), eight passes defensed, four interceptions, three sacks, and two forced fumbles in 15 games and 15 starts. Head coach Andy Reid elected to rest Dawkins for the Eagles' week 17 matchup against the
Cincinnati Bengals as they had already clinched a playoff berth. The
Philadelphia Eagles finished first in the
NFC East with a 13–3 record and earned a first-round bye. The Eagles reached the NFC Championship Game after losing and being eliminated from the playoffs in three consecutive seasons. On January 23, 2005, Dawkins made a tackle, two pass deflections, and intercepted a pass by Falcons' quarterback
Michael Vick during a 27–10 win against the
Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game. Dawkins played a key role and delivered a devastating hit on Falcons' tight end
Alge Crumpler during the game. On February 6, 2005, Dawkins recorded five combined tackles as the Eagles lost 24–21 to the
New England Patriots in
Super Bowl. This became Dawkins' first and only Super Bowl appearance.
2005 Defensive coordinator Jim Johnson retained the starting secondary in 2005. On December 11, 2005, Dawkins made four combined tackles, a season-high four pass deflections, a sack, and an interception in the Eagles' 26–23 loss to the
New York Giants in week 14. In week 16, Dawkins collected a season-high eight combined tackles during a 27–21 loss at the
Arizona Cardinals. He started in all 16 games in
2005 and recorded 77 combined tackles (66 solo), a career-high 19 pass deflections, four forced fumbles, 3.5 sacks, and three interceptions.
2006 Head coach Andy Reid elected to retain Dawkins and Michael Lewis as the starting safety duo, along with cornerbacks Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard in 2006. In week 6, Dawkins began playing alongside
Sean Considine after he surpassed Michael Lewis on the depth chart and remained the starter for the rest of the season. On December 17, 2006, Dawkins collected a season-high 12 combined tackles (11 solo), two pass deflections, and an interception during a 36–22 win at the
New York Giants in week 15. On December 20, 2006, Dawkins was named to the
2007 Pro Bowl. Dawkins started in all 16 games in
2006 and recorded 93 combined tackles (71 solo), nine pass deflections, five forced fumbles, four pass interceptions, and a sack. In week 10, he collected a season-high eight combined tackles and deflected a pass during a 33–25 victory at the Washington Redskins. He was also inactive for the Eagles' week 17 win against the
Buffalo Bills. Dawkins finished the season with 37 combined tackles (28 solo), six pass deflections, and an interception in ten games and ten starts. In week 5, he collected a season-high eight solo tackles and a sack during a 23–17 loss to the
Washington Redskins. His sack on Redskins' quarterback
Jason Campbell was the 20th sack of his career. He joined the 20/20 club after becoming the tenth player in NFL history to have 20 sacks and 20 interceptions in a career. His total at the time stood at 20 career sacks and 33 interceptions. He also broke fellow Jacksonville native and former Eagles' wide receiver
Harold Carmichael's franchise record of 180 career games. He started in all 16 games in 2008 and recorded 75 combined tackles (64 solo), six pass deflections, three sacks, and an interception. The Philadelphia Eagles and Dawkins were discussing a possible two-year contract before Dawkins received interest from the Denver Broncos. Head coach
Josh McDaniels named Dawkins the starting free safety to begin the regular season, alongside strong safety
Renaldo Hill and cornerbacks
Champ Bailey and
Andre Goodman. In week 10, he collected a season-high 14 combined tackles (12 solo) during a 27–17 loss at the
Washington Redskins. On December 13, 2009, Dawkins made ten combined tackles, two pass deflections, and intercepted two pass attempts by quarterback
Peyton Manning during the Broncos' 28–16 loss at the
Indianapolis Colts in week 14. On December 27, 2009, Dawkins recorded eight combined tackles in his return to
Lincoln Financial Field during a 30–27 loss at the
Philadelphia Eagles in week 16. On December 29, 2009, it was announced that Dawkins was selected to the
2008 Pro Bowl. He started all 16 games in
2009 and recorded 116 combined tackles (95 solo), 11 pass deflections, two interceptions, and a forced fumble.
2010 On January 18, 2010, the Denver Broncos mutually parted ways with defensive coordinator
Mike Nolan. They promoted linebackers coach
Don Martindale to defensive coordinator. Head coach Josh McDaniels elected to retain the starting secondary in 2009. Dawkins was sidelined for two games (Weeks 6–7) due to a knee injury. He further aggravated his knee injury and was inactive for another three games (Weeks 13–15). On December 7, 2009, the Denver Broncos fired head coach Josh McDaniels after they fell to a 3–9 record. In week 16, he collected a season-high nine combined tackles and deflected a pass during a 24–23 win against the
Houston Texans. He finished the season with 66 combined tackles (55 solo), five pass deflections, two sacks, and an interception in 11 games and 11 starts. He started in the
Denver Broncos' season-opener against the
Oakland Raiders and collected a season-high nine combined tackles in their 23–20 loss. On October 23, 2011, Dawkins made five combined tackles and two sacks during an 18–15 win at the
Miami Dolphins in week 7. He was sidelined for a game in week 15 and week 17 due to a reoccurring neck injury. He finished the season with 51 combined tackles (38 solo), six pass deflections, three sacks, and a forced fumble in 14 games and 12 starts.
Retirement After calling Fox on April 23, 2012, Dawkins announced via
Twitter that he was retiring from the NFL. His reasoning was he wanted to retire while he was still healthy. He planned to stay in Colorado, and wanted to begin coaching high school football that fall. On April 28, 2012, Dawkins alongside
Jeffrey Lurie announced that he would sign a one-day contract, and retire as a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles retired Dawkins' number 20 in a ceremony at half-time of their September 30 game against the
New York Giants. The Eagles have retired only nine players' jerseys in franchise history, which goes back more than 80 years.
Hall of Fame On February 4, 2018, it was announced that Dawkins was voted into the
Pro Football Hall of Fame and was one of five players selected. Dawkins joined
Randy Moss,
Brian Urlacher,
Ray Lewis, and former Eagles teammate
Terrell Owens. On August 4, 2018, Dawkins was officially inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and attended the ceremony at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in
Canton, Ohio. He was the first former Clemson player to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Legacy Over the span of his career, Dawkins developed a reputation as a ball-hawking safety and became the unquestioned leader of the Philadelphia Eagles' defense. He earned the nickname "Weapon X," a codename of
Marvel character
Wolverine, Dawkins is considered to be one of the top safeties in NFL history and was ranked as the fifth best safety in NFL history by NFL analyst
Gil Brandt. As a captain and unquestioned leader, Dawkins has acted as a mentor to multiple players early in their career, including
Al Harris,
Chris Harris Jr.,
Jason Avant, and
Quintin Mikell. Chris Harris Jr. credits Dawkins and
Champ Bailey for urging the
Denver Broncos' coaching staff to play him as an undrafted rookie after he showed promise and performed well in practice squad. ==Post-playing career==