Nick Sirianni lands record 7 Alabama players in 2023 roster with Julio Jones addition; fans react

With the signing of Julio Jones, the current Philadelphia Eagles are the closest you'll ever see to an Alabama side in the NFL. Led by quarterback Jalen Hurts, the Eagles are the NFL team with the most Crimson Tide players on their roster, and with the signing of wide receiver Julio Jones, they just added another. The Eagles have seven former Alabama players on their roster right now.

Former Crimson Tide players on the Eagles: Hurts, Dickerson, Jobe, Ricks, Smith, Steen, and Jones.

You can confidently say that head coach Nick Sirianni trusts Nick Saban's player development and who could blame him? However, Jones's signing might be a bit controversial given that the former Atlanta Falcons player hasn't played a single snap this year. Jones played the 2022 season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but wasn't re-signed at the end of the season and became an unrestricted free agent.

But without losing any important asset to get him, this is a low-risk investment by the NFL franchise, for a player that might still have some play to offer. Sirianni certainly thinks so, with him recently stating:

“Looking at the explosion — Does he still have the juice in his legs, the ability to run, the ability to get out of cuts, that ability to make plays? All those things we thought were really still good,”

'Bama fans were quick to react to their former star player being added to an NFL roster this late in his career:

Others joked about coach Sirinanni's affinity with Alabama players:

Some were happy to see him reunite with AJ Brown:

Alabama fans were saddened to remember Jones's Alabama side never reached its true potential in 2010:

When did Julio Jones play for Alabama?

Jones spent three seasons with the Crimson Tide, from 2008 until 2010. While he was there, he won the SEC Freshman of the Year Award (2008), First and Second Team All-SEC honors (2010 and 2008) and more importantly, helped Alabama win the 2009 BCS National Championship.

In the course of three seasons, Julio Jones recorded 2,653 receiving yards with 15 touchdown receptions. He closed his college career as a first-round pick in the 2011 NFL Draft, where the Atlanta Falcons selected him with the number sixth pick.