It’s hard to believe 13 years have passed since Brian Dawkins retired from the NFL. Perhaps harder to fathom, it’s been 16 years since he suited up in the No. 20 midnight green jersey he turned into a wardrobe necessity, a fashion staple every diehard Eagles fan has hanging in the closet.
Dawkins was the living embodiment of Philly grit. With all apologies to Jason Kelce, no Eagles player wore that badge of honor with more pride or determination than the man known (and universally revered) as Weapon X. His work ethic went beyond blue collar, and his hard hat was dented like a soup can during the Great Depression.
The Hall of Famer once defined the term blue collar to this reporter as “someone who goes out with their hard hat on and they earn. They get calluses on their hands, fingers and feet, and all those things. Because they’re working their behind off for every scrap, that’s what I did.”
That was then. This is now. Dawkins is wearing a black t-shirt emblazoned with the words “Hello, Blessed People” when he logs onto Zoom. It’s a familiar greeting for anyone who has ever talked to the 51-year-old, once he cheerfully greets me with as we chat during a random Tuesday in April.
Some people and things age like a fine wine. Dawkins ages like a Bible passage, that is to say that his stories continue to have meaning all these years later — and the lessons stitched inside never fade despite the texture of the page.
Recently, Dawkins was at Super Bowl 59 in New Orleans where he partnered with Boehringer & Lilly to raise awareness for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), an ailment that both his parents are at risk for due to pre-existing conditions. He was there to encourage at-risk people to see their doctors and take two tests: a blood test and a urine test.
“I’m very proactive when it comes to life, especially my health,” Dawkins told me. “When I got this information from Boehringer & Lilly about the potential for individuals to go down the path of developing kidney disease by having type two diabetes and high blood pressure, which both of my parents have, I wanted to be a part of this.
“It takes a blood test and a urine test. And what those tests can help you understand is if you’re going down the path to develop not only kidney disease, but also cardiovascular risks as well.”
Dawkins’ trip down to the Bayou wasn’t all business. Yes, he did wake up early on the morning of Feb. 9 to draw attention to Boehringer & Lilly’s “It Takes 2” health initiative — “it takes two … test your kidneys,” Dawkins likes to say — while making the rounds on Radio Row during Super Bowl week. After those obligations, he watched the franchise that drafted him raise their second Lombardi Trophy in seven years.
“I’m asked to do specific things, which I love to do,” Dawkins said. “How many people, millions of people, would love to have the chance to go to a Super Bowl? Or to be at venues where the Super Bowl is being held, right? And so, I’m blessed to be able to do those things. It’s an absolute blessing.”
Brian Dawkins on Eagles QB Jalen Hurts: ‘He’s a Stoic Cat’
Look the word “stoic” up in the dictionary and there’s a good chance you’ll see Jalen Hurts’ picture — in it, Hurts will be puffing on a cigar while gripping the Lombardi Trophy on the floor of the Eagles’ locker room, with his world champions’ hat flipped backwards.
Hurts had a purpose before anyone had an opinion, after all. The reigning Super Bowl MVP exudes coolness and calmness, something palpable to anyone within his sphere of influence including a Hall of Famer like Brian Dawkins.
“I haven’t spent a whole lot of time with Jalen Hurts, but I’ve had a chance to meet him and talk to him a little bit,” Dawkins said. “And you know, the time that I’ve talked to him, it was … he is a stoic, stoic cat, right? So, he’s real reserved for the most part. Keeps his [composure]. He’s smooth. He’s real, real smooth in that way.
“But you can tell that deep down he cares, right? He really, really cares. And I saw a lot of growth. I think we witnessed a lot of growth from him last year, right? Not saying he hasn’t grown since his rookie year, because he has. But you saw a lot of growth [last year] because there was some things happening during the season that allowed him to [grow].”
Jalen Hurts dropped one of the cleanest cigar pics after smoking the Chiefs in the Super Bowl
He will now be added to the list of players who lit one up to enjoy the sweet smell of victory
Best Post Championship Cigar Pictures (A Thread) ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/0ZXBipShUw
— Frank Michael Smith (@frankmikesmith) February 10, 2025
The “things” Dawkins was referencing mainly had to do with his relationship with star wideout A.J. Brown. The two best friends — Hurts is godfather to Brown’s daughter, Jersee — admittedly “bumped heads” and fought through rough patches in 2023 and 2024, eventually checking their egos at the door and growing stronger for it.
According to Dawkins, leaders lead behind closed doors especially when navigating those “uncomfortable situations.” Once they ironed things out — Week 6 versus Cleveland was a noticeable tipping point — the Eagles were unstoppable, going 11-1 down the stretch before cruising to a Super Bowl championship.
“They grew through the uncomfortable situations that were presented to them this year,” Dawkins said. “And then after that, they came out and that playoff run, that was a different team. You can just see it after those conversations were had behind closed doors, and probably even conversations with yourself about what I need to change.
“I’m talking about Jalen, right? Conversations about what he needed to change and do a little bit different or do a little bit better. And then that playoff run happened and that was a completely different team.”
Remembering Brandon Graham, aka ‘The Smiling Assassin’
When Brandon Graham announced his retirement on March 18th, everyone seemed to have a feel-good story to share about an all-time Eagles’ great who was once viewed as a first-round bust. It was a deluge of love and support, with enough fond memories to fill Noah’s ark.
Dawkins was one of the first to acknowledge Graham on social media that day, bestowing the nickname “The Smiling Assassin” upon him and recalling “The Sack.” That singular play — taking down Tom Brady and forcing a fumble on a 2nd-and-2 with 2:16 showing on the clock in the fourth quarter of Super Bowl 52 — has a legitimate claim as the greatest highlight in Eagles’ franchise history.
Dawkins and Graham never shared a locker room, missing each other by two seasons after ex-general manager Joe Banner bungled Dawkins’ free-agent year in 2009. That didn’t stop Weapon X from keeping an eye on Graham. He always appreciated the way the former Michigan standout handled his business on and off the field, particularly the way his motor (and his mouth) never stopped running.
“What you see is what you get when it comes to Brandon. That’s him,” Dawkins said. “Nonstop in the meeting rooms and around the building, and that smile — he’s always joking around and that is really him. But, when it’s time to get dialed in to go, he’s going to lead. He’s going to be the leader. You can follow his example as he prepares and all of those things.”
When stories are told a long time from now, they will speak about a so-called smallish first-round bust that changed his mindset and direction. To go on to be one of the Legendary players and have “The Sack” be forever entrenched into Philadelphia @Eagles History!!
The Smiling… pic.twitter.com/cnNUCcYQlc
— Brian Dawkins (@BrianDawkins) March 18, 2025
Graham credited former Eagles Trent Cole and Jason Peters for helping him navigate the so-called “bust years” early in his NFL career. It was a low point when the man now ranked No. 3 on the franchise’s all-time sack list didn’t even want to go outside.
Dawkins wasn’t in the locker room then, but he was watching and mentoring from afar. He saw that unflippable switch finally go on.
“He came into the league smallish and all of us people were looking at him as being a bust in the early going,” Dawkins said. “But then something in him changed, right? He changed his mindset. And then he began to do things and go about things a different way.
“And now the Brandon Graham that we see, that’s the Brandon Graham that I began to develop. And so again, you will have young people growing up in Philadelphia wanting to to be, as I call him, the smiling assassin. Because that’s what he is, the smiling assassin, Jack.”
Photo by John Jones/Icon Sportswire
