I remember the college days of Malcolm Jenkins. He attended Ohio State where he earned consensus All-American honors. As a senior, he was awarded the Jim Thorpe Award which is awarded to the top defensive back in the country. Malcolm was a first-round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints in 2009. In 2014, he signed a free-agent contract with the Philadelphia Eagles where he’s played the last six seasons of his career. The Eagles decided not to bring the safety back. Today, it was announced that Malcolm would be returning to New Orleans to play for the Saints again.
Malcolm is a hybrid playing the safety position. What I mean by that term is he’s not your traditional safety. The typical deep-post safety is Earl Thomas. An enforcer that could lay the big hit would be a Kam Chancellor (when he still played). He plays in run defense as if he were a linebacker. There are no issues with him loading himself up in the box to sit on the line of scrimmage to bring down the ball-carrier. He can cover like a cornerback. I’ve seen him pick up slot receivers, running backs in the backfield running wheel routes and even tight ends. He rushes the passer like a defensive end. If the ball is near him, he’s making a play upon it.
Number 27 was a vital piece of the 2017 Eagles defense. He was their heart and soul along with being their enforcer in the backend. He’s one of those rare defensive backs that you can plug in anywhere on the field. Malcolm has a knack for making a big play. I’ve seen him force fumbles late in games or make key interceptions. This is a good pick up for the Saints defense. He’s back where it all started.
