January 12, 2022. 

A date that will forever remain in Eric Weddle’s heart.

With the Rams lacking depth at safety for their postseason run, they called up Weddle (now over two years retired) to bring some veteran leadership to their team and fill in some gaps in the secondary left by injuries. This move would not only come as a success, but it also played a massive part in the Rams’ Super Bowl run. Weddle would be the Rams leading tackler in the NFC Championship game against the Cardinals (USAToday.com) and recorded five tackles in Los Angeles’ Super Bowl victory (NFL.com). On top of that, Weddle tore his pectoral in the first quarter of the Super Bowl but remained in the game, playing every defensive snap. 

Following the Super Bowl, Weddle announced that he will most likely retire once and for all, citing the  need for surgery to repair his torn pectoral. 

After winning his first Super Bowl in his first season with the team, Weddle’s teammate Matthew Stafford has generated lots of buzz, with many debating about Stafford’s Hall-of-Fame status. Personally, I feel that more time needs to be given to Stafford to prove his worthiness and that the Hall-of-Fame conversation should shift over to Weddle. 

With six Pro Bowls, two All-Pro selections, a Super Bowl ring, and a selection to the All-2010s Team, Weddle could easily receive a bust in Canton, Ohio (Pro-Football-Reference.com).

Over the course of Weddle’s 14-year NFL career he recorded 29 interceptions, four touchdowns, 1,179 tackles, and eight forced fumbles as a free safety (Pro-Football-Reference.com). Weddle is a prime example of a player whose impact cannot be measured solely by stats as he played at a higher level than his simple statistics can explain. Weddle could hit hard, get to the quarterback, play good coverage and perfectly lead a defense—no matter how experienced or inexperienced he was. For that, Weddle’s ability to captain any team he played on, I believe that he should be a surefire Hall-of-Famer. Yes, the legends of Weddle’s era including Ed Reed, Brian Dawkins and Kam Chancellor all had better primes, but that doesn’t withdraw any of Weddle’s greatness. He played at a high level (a level very close to or better than Chancellor and some of the other better safeties of the 2000s) for even longer than many of his peers and had arguably a bigger impact considering his ultimate ability to captain any team he was on (including the Rams and Ravens, whom he played just a combined 3 ½ seasons for) and to battle through a multitude of injuries. 

After an astounding career pre-retirement and an excellent postseason run after returning to the game of football, I think that it is certain that Eric Weddle should find a spot in Canton at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.