Regarded as one of the greatest safeties of all time, Dawkins was viewed as the leader of the Eagles defense, named to nine Pro Bowls and five All-Pro first-teams during his career.

In addition to his playing career, Dawkins served the Eagles as an executive of football operations for player development from 2016 to 2018 and was with the organization when they won Super Bowl LII.

He received first-team All-ACC Honors in 1995 and was selected by the Associated Press and Sporting News as a second-team All-American as a senior when his team-high six interceptions tied him for the conference lead.

Head coach Ray Rhodes named Dawkins the backup free safety to start the regular season, behind Eric Zomalt.

Dawkins made his first career interception off a pass by Falcons' backup quarterback Bobby Hebert, that was originally intended for wide receiver Bert Emanuel, and returned it for a 30-yard gain to seal the Eagles' victory in the fourth quarter.

[21][15] Defensive coordinator Emmitt Thomas retained Dawkins and Mike Zordich as the starting safeties in 1997, along with cornerbacks Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor.

[23] On December 7, 1997, Dawkins recorded seven combined tackles and returned an interception for his first career touchdown during the Eagles' 32–21 loss to the New York Giants in Week 15.

Dawkins intercepted a pass by quarterback Danny Kanell, that was initially thrown to wide receiver Chris Calloway, and returned it for a 64-yard touchdown in the third quarter.

[39] Head coach Andy Reid retained the core of the starting secondary as the starters, including Dawkins, Troy Vincent, and Bobby Taylor.

[42] He finished the season with 68 combined tackles (56 solo), 14 passes defensed, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, 1.5 sacks, and a touchdown in 15 games and 15 starts.

[19] The Philadelphia Eagles defense ranked second in the league in 2001 and the secondary continued to have success under position coaches Leslie Frazier and Steve Spagnuolo.

Head coach Andy Reid opted to rest Dawkins for the Eagles' Week 17 victory at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as they had already clinched a playoff berth.

On January 12, 2002, Dawkins recorded two combined tackles, broke up two passes, and made an interception during a 31–9 win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Wild Card Game.

On January 27, 2002, Dawkins recorded six solo tackles and deflected a pass as the Eagles lost 29–24 at the St. Louis Rams in the NFC Championship Game.

Dawkins started all 16 games in 2002 and recorded 91 combined tackles (62 solo), nine passes defensed, five forced fumbles, three sacks, two interceptions, and one touchdown reception.

On January 11, 2003, Dawkins made four combined tackles, a pass deflection, and an interception during a 20–6 victory against the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Divisional Round.

Head coach Andy Reid named Dawkins the starter to begin the regular season, along with starting strong safety Michael Lewis and cornerbacks Troy Vincent, Bobby Taylor, and Lito Sheppard.

[51] He started in the Philadelphia Eagles' season-opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and collected a season-high nine combined tackles before exiting in the fourth quarter of their 17–0 loss due to a sprained ankle.

[53] He finished the 2003 season with 35 combined tackles (28 solo), five pass deflections, an interception, and was credited with half a sack in seven games and seven starts.

On January 11, 2004, Dawkins recorded eight solo tackles, deflected a pass, and returned an interception by Brett Favre for a 35-yard gain to set up a 31-yard field goal to help the Eagles win the NFC Divisional Round against the Green Bay Packers 20–17.

[55] Dawkins and Michael Lewis returned as the starting safety duo and also played alongside cornerbacks Lito Sheppard and Sheldon Brown after Troy Vincent and Bobby Taylor departed in free agency.

Head coach Andy Reid elected to rest Dawkins for the Eagles' Week 17 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals as they had already clinched a playoff berth.

On December 11, 2005, Dawkins made four combined tackles, a season-high four pass deflections, a sack, and an interception in the Eagles' 26–23 loss to the New York Giants in Week 14.

[19] On January 26, 2006, it was announced that Dawkins was named to the 2006 Pro Bowl as a late-replacement for Chicago Bears' safety Mike Brown who was inactive due to an injury.

[60] Head coach Andy Reid elected to retain Dawkins and Michael Lewis as the starting safety duo, along with cornerbacks Sheldon Brown and Lito Sheppard in 2006.

In Week 6, Dawkins began playing alongside Sean Considine after he surpassed Michael Lewis on the depth chart and remained the starter for the rest of the season.

[61] On December 17, 2006, Dawkins collected a season-high 12 combined tackles (11 solo), two pass deflections, and an interception during a 36–22 win at the New York Giants in Week 15.

On September 17, 2007, he recorded four solo tackles and deflected a pass before exiting the Eagles' 20–12 loss to the Washington Redskins on Monday Night Football due to an injury.

[19] On January 19, 2012, it was announced that Dawkins would play in the 2012 Pro Bowl as a late injury replacement for Pittsburgh Steelers' safety Troy Polamalu.

[88][89] Chris Harris Jr. credits Dawkins and Champ Bailey for urging the Denver Broncos' coaching staff to play him as an undrafted rookie after he showed promise and performed well in practice squad.