The past few months have been nothing short of a dream come true for Fredericksburg native E.J. Jenkins.
On Jan. 5, Jenkins recorded his first career NFL catch — a 7-yard touchdown reception — in the Philadelphia Eagles’ 20-13 victory over the New York Giants on the final day of the regular season.
As good as that was, things got even better for the 2017 Chancellor High School alum earlier this month when he saw action in the Eagles’ 40-22 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX.
“I mean, of course it’s something that you always dream of as a kid,” Jenkins said by phone last Friday. “To be honest, my main dream was just to make it to the NFL. But of course, once you’re there, you want to make it to the Super Bowl and win it.”
While Jenkins did not record a reception during the Super Bowl, he was in the game for nearly 20 plays. And he said he wasn’t awestruck by the magnitude of his situation and the surroundings even once.
“We were on a business trip,” the 6-foot-6, 245-pound tight end remarked. “It was really about just stepping on the field and not making it bigger than what it was. Because at the end of the day, when that whistle blows, it’s still the game that you’ve been playing since you were a little kid.”
Jenkins wasn’t the only local to earn a ring earlier this month. James Monroe High alumnus Jeff Scott contributed to the Eagles’ championship as the team’s Vice President of Football Operations.
Jenkins attributes at least some of his poise to the Eagles’ most experienced player: defensive end Brandon Graham.
“He’s really helped me a lot with the mental aspect of everything over the past year,” Jenkins said of Graham, a 15-year veteran. “He has so much knowledge, and he’s very generous with it. Even when I’m going against him one-on-one in practice, he’ll give me tips on how to do better in the next rep.”
Jenkins also named edge rushers Josh Sweat and Nolan Smith Jr., as well as defensive tackle Jalen Carter as teammates who have helped him acclimate to being a pro.
“One thing about the Eagles is they are a great organization,” he said. “It’s really a family atmosphere, and we’re so close both inside and outside the building.”
Jenkins had quite a journey on his way to becoming a member of that family, beginning with a decorated prep career at Chancellor.
A three-sport star who also played basketball and ran track for the Chargers, Jenkins amassed 4,310 receiving yards and 37 TDs in his career, both school records. He also set school records for the longest receiving TD, most TDs in a single season and most receiving TDs in a single game.
Despite his size and athleticism, Jenkins was largely overlooked by many FBS schools. So he signed with Saint Francis (Pa.) University, an FCS school.
After redshirting in 2017 and tallying five catches for 52 yards and a score in 2018, Jenkins broke out in a big way as a redshirt sophomore, hauling in 39 receptions for 779 yards and a school-record 13 TDs.
“I always knew what I was capable of,” Jenkins said. “It was just a matter of making the most of each day and trusting that I’d have the opportunity to show it.”
While Jenkins didn’t get the opportunity to continue to show out for the Red Flash, who were one of many teams across the country to cancel their 2020 campaign because of the COVID-19 pandemic, he had done more than enough to get noticed by bigger schools. He entered the NCAA transfer portal, where he was scooped up by South Carolina.
Jenkins played in 12 contests for the Gamecocks in 2021, catching eight passes for 117 yards while transitioning from wide receiver to tight end. He then transferred to Georgia Tech for the 2022 season, where he started 11 of the Yellow Jackets’ 12 games and recorded 17 receptions for 316 yards and three scores.
After going undrafted in 2023, Jenkins signed with the New York Jets. He caught three passes for 23 yards during the preseason but was waived as part of final roster cuts on Aug. 29, 2023. He remained a free agent until Nov. 1, when he was signed to the Eagles’ practice squad. However, that only lasted until Nov. 14, when he was released. He signed with the Las Vegas Raiders’ practice squad on Jan. 2, 2024 but was released again on Jan. 15.
What Jenkins didn’t know was that he’d made enough of an impression on the Eagles during his brief stay in Philly to remain on their radar. They signed him to a reserve/future contract on Jan. 18, and while he was cut from the active roster on Aug. 27, they immediately re-signed him to the practice squad, paving the way for his eventual ascension to the main roster.
He saw action in the first two games of the year against the Green Bay Packers and Atlanta Falcons, then went back to the practice squad before being elevated to the main roster again on Dec. 7, where he remained for the rest of the season.
Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni talked a little about his TEs — including Jenkins — following a December win over the Baltimore Ravens.
“I love that room,” he said. “That room really cares about helping each other get better. That’s a great room of teammates right there with Dallas [Goedert], with Grant [Calcaterra], and with C.J. [Uzomah] and with E.J. They push each other hard, and they’re their biggest fans in that room as they make plays. It’s cool to see.”
“From Day One, it’s been about just putting my best foot forward and taking nothing for granted,” Jenkins added. “Every day is an opportunity to get 1% better, and you can’t take it for granted.”
Jenkins remains under contract with the Eagles, where he hopes to earn a spot on their 2025 roster when training camp opens this summer.
But in the meantime, he’s basking in the glory of a life that’s taken him from playing on patchy Fredericksburg fields to cruising through the streets of Philadelphia in the middle of a Super Bowl parade.
“It was the experience of a lifetime,” he said of the parade, which was held on Valentine’s Day. “Philly is such a football city, and we had over a million fans there to celebrate with us. Beer was flying everywhere, and our GM Howie Roseman even got hit in the head with a can. Thankfully he was okay. … But man, was it electric.”
