Eagles

RIP Wes Hopkins

By Kevin Kinkead

Published: Sep 28th, 2018 · 1:33 PM EDT

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Pro Bowl safety Wes Hopkins passed away today at the age of 57.

That’s according to former Eagles teammate Garry Cobb:

I'm sorry to report that one of the best @Eagles players I've ever known, safety Wes Hopkins passed away this morning. He played the game with #Passion and #Commitment. He was a great player, a great teammate and we will all miss him dearly. @sethjoyner @EricAllen619 pic.twitter.com/DiPUrypjVg

— Garry Cobb (@GarryCobb) September 28, 2018

Hopkins played for the Eagles from 1983 to 1993 and spent his entire professional career in Philadelphia. He was a second round draft pick out of Southern Methodist University, where he earned a spot as a walk-on, and went on to be a staple in the Birds’ defensive backfield, starting 125 of 137 games over ten NFL seasons.

To this day, Hopkins is one of the best to ever play the position for the Eagles. He was dominant and tough and formed one of the hardest-hitting safety pairings in the league alongside Andre Waters. He was a key fixture of those late 1980s and early 1990s Buddy Ryan defenses that also featured Reggie White, Jerome Brown, Eric Allen, and Seth Joyner.

Hopkins had been admitted to an Alabama hospital earlier this month. His cause of death has not been reported, but I imagine he’s probably kicking it with the rest of his former teammates in football heaven right now.

RIP Wes.