On Saturday, the Philadelphia Eagles announced the return of a beloved fan favorite as the newest member of the scouting department.
Brian Dawkins, 42, played in Philly from 1996-2008 and was a key ingredient on defense as a safety during the Eagles' run of appearing in four consecutive NFC Championship games from 2001-2004 and the Super Bowl in '04.
Now, he is back in the organization as the inaugural recipient of the Nunn-Wooten Scouting Fellowship, a program designed by the NFL to introduce former players to scouting.
"This place means so much to me," Dawkins said in an article on the Eagles website. "It's not about the people who run it. It's about the place. It's about the Eagle green. People will come and go, but this place will remain the same. That's what drives me to want to do more for this organization.”
Although back with the Eagles, the nine-time Pro Bowler will remain in Colorado, where he has lived since his playing days ended with the Denver Broncos in . Before earning this position, Dawkins had worked with ESPN from 2012 up until this past football season. Once his contract was not renewed, that allowed Dawkins to explore a potential return to the NFL.
"It’s not just scouting. I’m trying to grasp the whole gambit of football operations and how a team is run,” Dawkins said. “I’m learning about the scouting part of it, I guess the terminology and those types of things, but sometimes it’s either you have an eye or you don’t, and I’ve been blessed to have an eye to be able to see talent. So if I can help in that respect, I’d love to do that, but also I want to learn everything about running a football team.”
An interesting tidbit in that quote is Dawkins saying he was 'trying to grasp the whole gambit of football operations and how a team is run.' Could this be the beginning of a new relationship between the Eagles and him? Dawkins and Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman have a good relationship, with Roseman saying Dawkins has worked as an 'informal player personnel consultant' for the team in 2014 and again after Chip Kelly was fired.
"I’ve (been) always trying to get him here because he’s got such a bright future, he’s got such a great football mind and a great presence and leadership ability, which translates to the front office,” Roseman said in an article on CSNPhilly.com.
With the knowledge Dawkins possesses and his ability to evaluate talent, there is reason for excitement that this is just the first step for him on the path to earning a bigger role within the organization. He has already said he has bigger plans than just scouting, so what Dawkins sees as his end game remains to be unseen.
General Manager Dawkins has a nice ring to it, but for now, Eagles fans can rejoice knowing that Weapon X is back in the organization he dedicated the majority of his career to.
