7 Greatest Philadelphia Eagles players of the 21st century
By Adam Patrick
7. Trent Cole – DE
Since 2000, there are few who have worked as hard during their career with the Eagles as Trent Cole. Immediately after Philadelphia selected him in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft, Cole went out and proved that he was worthy of being taken much higher.
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Despite where he was drafted, it only took him 10 weeks into his rookie season before he was a starter on the Eagles’ defense and he maintained that role for another nine years.
Midway through his second season in the league in 2006, Philadelphia realized they had a guy they couldn’t let get away. So the Eagles gave Cole a five-year contract extension worth over $26 million.
Philadelphia investment in the defensive end proved to be worth it as he went on to rack up 55 sacks over his next five seasons. Cole’s performance during this time ended up with him earning two trips to the Pro Bowl, which turned out to be the only two of his NFL career.
In his 10 years with the Eagles, he finished with a total of 85.5 sacks. Since 1982, only Reggie White was able to accumulate more sacks in a Philadelphia uniform than the amount Cole put up in his time with the team.