Malcolm Jenkins, former Philadelphia Eagles safety and team captain, watched the Eagles’ recent win over the Los Angeles Rams from a new perspective—behind the camera. On Sunday, Jenkins was on the sideline as Jordan Davis blocked a field goal attempt and returned it 61 yards for a touchdown, securing a dramatic victory for Philadelphia.
A video circulating on social media shows Jenkins observing the play with pride before calmly standing up to photograph Davis’s run into the end zone. Since retiring after the 2021 NFL season, Jenkins has taken up photography and shares his work through his Substack publication, LOVE, ART & WAR.
“To be honest, it was not that surprising. I was surprised that the play went for a touchdown, not that it was blocked and that we won the game. As I was taking photos of the field goal blocks earlier in that game, there were opportunities,” Jenkins said. “The win was one that I could feel coming. That was really cool being down on the field. You can’t plan out the dramatic fashion, but they did everything they needed to walk themselves back into the game. The style of it all was the wow factor for me.”
Jenkins compared Sunday’s comeback to other memorable moments during his time with Philadelphia, such as Jake Elliott’s last-second 61-yard field goal against the New York Giants in 2017 and his debut game where the Eagles overcame a large deficit against Jacksonville.
Reflecting on his transition from football to photography, Jenkins explained how he applies lessons from his playing days to his creative pursuits: “You have to have the eye. And the eye is not just like a mythical thing. It’s an understanding of the process, the understanding of material, the understanding of narrative, and an understanding of the full body of work and where that work lines up with other narratives and history,” he said. “I’m no professional, but I realized that any of the good sports photographers have to have a knowledge of the game. That’s not something you do accidentally. I’m using every skill I have just to keep up. I’m looking at the formation, what the situation of the game is, like I was calling plays.”
Jenkins also noted how his relationships with current players give him unique access: “I think that’s the magic of it all because there’s a certain level of being player to player and having experienced all of the sensations of being in each other’s shoes,” he said. “When we talk about brotherhood and camaraderie, what that actually looks like is a story that I don’t think has really been captured because it’s not been captured by players themselves.”
After retiring from football—a career during which he was nominated for Walter Payton NFL Man of The Year—Jenkins turned down broadcast roles in favor of pursuing independent projects like his Substack publication.
“I’ve always had a spirit of learning. I want to be expansive. I want to take deep dives into different places and I need to think about them abstractly and there’s usually not space for that in those areas,” Jenkins said. “As I think about next phase myself, I wanted to be a better writer and to be a better speaker and contribute to collective dialogue…some best things you can do as leader is just lead out front and show your process.”
Sunday’s experience allowed Jenkins new appreciation for gameday beyond playing: “It turns into what part of this is history and what do I actually care to remember? I think that’s fun,” he said. “I’m kind there on my own accord…Mine is personal kind practice…Each us has story now where we were when we saw that…And I think that’s cool part.”
