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Smallwood: Eagles in ESPN's list of top 100 NFL players

    by John Smallwood
    Published 

Well, either ESPN.com thinks the Eagles have a few unrecognized gems for the 2016 season or it's not overly impressed with the roster head coach Doug Pederson will take into his rookie campaign.

I tend to believe it is the latter.

On Monday, the website began its countdown list for the Top 100 NFL Players for the 2016 season.

The parameters are that more than 50 NFL reporters, analysts and statisticians from inside and outside ESPN judged players regardless of position on a scale of 1-100 for what they consider their level of excellence. The best player got the highest point total.

The list is being revealed in three segments, with 100 to 51 posted on Monday and the final list being released on Wednesday.

Of the first players released, the Eagles had safety Malcolm Jenkins checked in at No. 88 and left tackle Jason Peters at No. 84.

After not being ranked going into 2015, Jenkins had an average rating of 80.82 this time.

While acknowledging that Peters, 34, is in the "twilight of his career," ESPN seems less concerned with the status of Peters than most Eagle fans. His average rating was 81.18. Last season, he ranked tied for 47th.

If we're being realistic about this, there is only one player on the Eagle who can be ranked as a Top 50 player and that is defensive tackle Fletcher Cox.

Since Cox is clearly the best player on the Eagles roster, logic dictates he will be in the Top 50 if Peters and Jenkins are already on the list.

Cox was ranked as the 49th best player in a Top 100 list put out by NFL Network. No other Eagle made the NFL Network list which was voted on by the players.

An earlier list by USA Today had Cox at No. 35 while Jenkins was 97th.

So unless, you are looking through midnight-green tinted glasses and believe that Eagles tight end Zach Ertz is better than Washington's Jordan Reed (55th), Sam Bradford is better than Dallas quarterback Tony Romo (62nd) or Jordan Matthews is better than Denver receiver Demaryius Thomas (51st), Cox is the only other Eagle that can possibly be on the ESPN list.

Dallas already has three players on the list while the New York Giants and Washington have two.