The Eagles Expect Big Things From Jordan Davis This Season
Jordan Davis had a pretty underwhelming rookie season in Philadelphia. He was by no means bad, but he was not on the field that much due to a very deep rotation at DT. The first-round pick showed a ton as a run stuffer but did not offer much in the way of a pass rush. He came into camp this year though slimmed down, with better conditioning. And the Eagles are expecting big things out of him.
Tim McManus joined The Best Show Ever on Wednesday and spoke about the Eagles’ high expectations for Jordan Davis this upcoming season:
“We have been seeing pretty consistently that Jordan Davis has been paired with Fletcher Cox as the starting DT. That is significant. We know that Javon Hargrave last season had 11 sacks. He was a big part of what they were doing. They were hoping Jordan Davis would be able to take a step forward. And the way that Cox is talking about him recently is that he is a 3-down Defensive Tackle now. They are showing through their words and their actions by pairing him with Cox that they feel he is in line for a big role, and they are hoping for big contributions.
When you are looking at if this defense can sustain the success from last year, don’t look any further than number 90. He is going to be a big key to whether can sustain what they have been doing.”
Eagles fans have not gotten to see it much. Jordan Davis barely played in the preseason, with under 20 total snaps between the 3 games. But that helps show the confidence the Eagles have in him. We saw other guys who did not quite have their role secured play far more snaps. But they treated Davis like any other starter.
There is still a deep rotation at DT. So Davis is going to have to prove it on the field if he wants to max out his playing time. We saw last year that the Eagles are more than willing to make mid-season moves to fill in holes, And Linval Joseph, who took playing time from Jordan Davis last season, is still out there. Davis will have to contribute in both the pass rush and as a run stuffer if he is going to stay on the field for all 3 downs.
But every indication suggests the Eagles think he will do just that. Will he be an 11-sack guy like Hargrave? Probably not. But can he be disruptive enough to help his teammates rack up big sack numbers? That is what the Eagles were planning on when they drafted him. And it seems like they feel pretty good he will be that guy this year.
You can listen to the full conversation with Tim McManus below:
Here is a look at who should be starting for the Eagles week 1:
Philadelphia Eagles Projected 2023 Week 1 Starters
Jalen Hurts
Quarterback, #1
Oklahoma University/University of Alabama
4th NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (53rd overall) in 2020D'Andre Swift
Running Back, #0
University of Georgia
4th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Detroit Lions (April 2023)A.J. Brown
Wide Receiver, #11
Ole Miss
5th NFL season- Acquired in a trade from Tennessee Titans (April 2022)DeVonta Smith
Wide Receiver, #6
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (10th overall) in 2021Quez Watkins
Wide Receiver, #16
Southern Miss
4th NFL Season- Drafted in 6th Round (200th overall) in 2020Dallas Goedert
Tight End, #88
South Dakota State
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (48th overall) in 2018Jordan Mailata
Left Tackle, #68
Jeff Stoutland University
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 7th Round (233rd overall) in 2018Landon Dickerson
Left Guard, #69
University of Alabama
3rd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (37th overall) in 2021Jason Kelce
Center, #62
University of Cincinnati
13th NFL Season- Drafted in 6th Round (191st overall) in 2011Cam Jurgens
Right Guard, #51
University of Nebraska
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 2nd Round (51st overall) in 2022Lane Johnson
Right Tackle, #65
Oklahoma University
11th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (4th overall) in 2013Brandon Graham
Defensive End, #55
University of Michigan
14th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (13th overall) in 2010Fletcher Cox
Defensive Tackle, #91
Mississippi State
12th NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (12th overall) in 2012Jordan Davis
Defensive Tackle, #90
University of Georgia
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 1st Round (13th overall) in 2022Josh Sweat
Defensive End, #94
Florida State
6th NFL Season- Drafted in 4th Round (130th overall) in 2018Haason Reddick
Edge Rusher/Linebacker, #7
Temple University
7th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2022)Nakobe Dean
Linebacker, #17
University of Georgia
2nd NFL Season- Drafted in 3rd Round (83rd overall) in 2022Zach Cunningham
Linebacker, #52
Vanderbilt University
7th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (August 2023)Darius Slay
Cornerback, #2
Mississippi State University
11th NFL Season- Acquired in trade from Detroit Lions (March 2020)James Bradberry
Cornerback, #24
University of Arkansas/Samford University
8th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (May 2022)Reed Blankenship
Safety, #32
Middle Tennessee State
2nd NFL Season- Signed as Undrafted Free Agent (May 2022)Terrell Edmunds
Safety, #26
Virginia Tech
6th NFL Season- Signed in Free Agency (March 2023)
