Jason Kelce Strengthens His Hall of Fame Case With 6th All-Pro 1st Team

Jason Kelce will one day walk into Canton. If you didn't already know that, today made that even more clear. For the 6th time in his career, he has been named the 1st Team All-Pro Center. Other Eagles to earn 6 All Pro 1st Teams include Reggie White and Chuck Bednarik. Lane Johnson, AJ Brown, and Jake Elliot were named to the 2nd Team.

Kelce becomes one of just 5 centers in NFL history to make it to 6 All Pro 1st teams. The other 4 include Jim Otto, Clyde "Bulldog" Turner, Demonti Dawson, and Jim Ringo. All 4 are in the Hall of Fame. What makes it even crazier is all 6 All-Pro seasons came after he turned 30. And only one of the other 5 centers did it in the last 50 seasons. He had already been named to his 7th Pro Bowl, and he is one of just 50 NFL players to reach that benchmark.

His Hall of Fame Resume keeps growing. You can easily make the argument he is the best center of this century so far. He is certainly the All-Decade Center for the 2010s. And no center has managed to dethrone him these past few years for the 1st Team All-Pro.

This will likely be his final season. He has mulled retirement for years now. And if you watched his documentary, you got the sense this would be it. As a team, it is a disappointing final season. But it was another amazing season for him as an individual. So at least personally, he will go out on a high note. If this is his final season, Jason Kelce will go down as one of the best players in Eagles history, and one of the most beloved.

The Philadelphia Eagles enter the NFC Wild Card Round with several starters in question. Jalen Hurts, Cam Jurgens, and A.J. Brown all suffered injuries in Week 18. DeVonta Smith sat out the brutal loss against the New York Giants in Week 18. Nick Sirianni is desperate for a playoff victory. He hopes to have a healthy lineup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

The Eagles are reeling badly. They lost five of their final six games to finish the 2023 regular season. The fan base has no optimism heading into the playoffs just one month after the team sat at 10-1 in sole possession of the best record in the NFL.

Nobody can confidently say the Eagles have any momentum heading into the playoffs. They lost consecutive games to finish the regular season against opponents in the bottom tier of the NFL with nothing to play for. The Eagles struggled with the same weaknesses throughout the 2023 season, and their recent opponents have exposed their flaws brutally.

Darius Slay will likely return after missing the final four games of the regular season after arthroscopic knee surgery. Kelee Ringo and Eli Ricks will still rotate into the defensive backfield after filling in for Slay the past four games. Sydney Brown is unavailable after a serious injury in Week 18.

DeVonta Smith is nursing an ankle injury suffered in the fourth quarter against the Cardinals in Week 17. D'Andre Swift also sat out the loss against the Giants. Both should also return against the Buccaneers.

Cam Jurgens suffered an eye injury against the Giants. His status is still in question. All eyes will turn to A.J. Brown. Assuming Jalen Hurts plays through a dislocated finger, Brown's status will be the most impactful is the most significant of any injury news. 

Quarterback, #1
Oklahoma University/University of Alabama
4th NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (53rd overall) in 2020

Running Back, #0
University of Georgia
4th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Detroit Lions (April 2023)

Wide Receiver, #6
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (10th overall) in 2021

Wide Receiver, #80
University of Alabama
13th NFL Season, Signed in Free Agency (October 2023)

Wide Receiver, #16
Southern Miss
4th NFL Season- Drafted in 6th Round (200th overall) in 2020

Tight End, #88
South Dakota St.
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (48th overall) in 2018

Left Tackle, #68
Jeff Stoutland University
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 7th Round (233rd overall) in 2018

Left Guard, #69
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (37th overall) in 2021

Center, #62
University of Cincinnati
13th NFL Season- Drafted in 6th Round (191st overall) in 2011

Right Guard, #51
University of Nebraska
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (51st overall) in 2022

Left Tackle, #69
Oklahoma University
11th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (4th overall) in 2013

Defensive End, #94
Florida State
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 4th Round (130th overall) in 2018

Defensive Tackle, #91
Mississippi State
12th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (12th overall) in 2012

Defensive Tackle, #90
University of Georgia
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (13th overall) in 2022

Edge Rusher/Linebacker, #7
Temple University
7th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2022)

Linebacker, #52
Vanderbilt University
7th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (August 2023)

Linebacker, #50
South Carolina St.
6th NFL Season, Signed in Free Agency (December 2023)

Cornerback, #2
Mississippi State
11th NFL Season- Acquired in trade from Detroit Lions (March 2020)

Cornerback, #24
University of Arkansas/Samford University
8th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (May 2022)

Cornerback, #29
University of Pittsburgh
Drafted in 4th Round (125th overall) in 2018

Safety, #31
Middle Tennessee State
8th NFL Season, Acquired in trade from Tennessee Titans (October 2023)

Safety, #32
Middle Tennessee State
2nd NFL Season- Signed as Undrafted Free Agent (May 2022)