Don’t Give Up On Jordan Davis Yet, He Is Worth Being Patient For
Jordan Davis had a rough rookie year. He got out of the gates slow, got injured, and by the time he came back the Eagles replaced him with Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh. His 2nd season started out far better. He was a force early on and was a big reason why the Eagles were the best run defense in the league. But ever since the Bills game he has been a non-factor. MIA. And that has led to people questioning his conditioning, and if he is in good enough shape.
He clearly hit a wall. It seems like ever since he chased down Josh Allen on the sideline, we have hardly heard his name mentioned. Is that him not being in good enough shape to hold up over a full season? Maybe. And it is likely his conditioning will be a work in progress. But it is also fair to point out that he has never played this many snaps once in his career. And like how a pitcher being asked to go over his usual innings pitched can lead to them fading at the end of the season, the same can be said for Jordan Davis.
A Huge Leap In Snaps
After playing 17 snaps per game last season, Davis was up to 30 this week. And at one point it had climbed all the way up to 37 per game. And in that Bills game, he was out there for 62. Likewise, Jalen Carter, who we have also seen fade late in the season, was playing 29 snaps per game, and in one 4-week stretch including that Bills game he was up to 52 per game.
It was a lot to ask of two young DTs who were part of a heavy rotation in college. And it caught up to both of them. Early in the season, it felt like we heard both of their names constantly. Whether it was Jalen Carter blowing up the pocket, or Davis stuffing the run. Both played at an exceptionally high level over the first half of the season, which is why they saw more and more snaps.
It is not a coincidence that before Jordan Davis faded, this was an elite run Defense, and since then, they have been terrible against the run. That is the difference a guy like him can make. But people seem to forget that and just want to act like he is a bust because he has been missing in action these last few games. Does he need to get into better shape? Yes. And that may take time. But go back to what he was doing early in the season. That is a guy worth being patient with. Davis is a unicorn. He is a massive individual with impressive speed for his size. If he gets it right, he can be special.
Still Time For Him To Be Great
Right now it looks like Kyle Hamilton would have been the better pick in that draft. And maybe that will end up being the case. But there was a time when everyone thought the Eagles made a mistake drafting Brandon Graham over Earl Thomas. Now he is a fan favorite and they might not have won a Super Bowl without him.
So be patient. Jordan Davis is still an exceptional talent. He just needs to work on his conditioning so he can stand up to the long NFL season. And the Eagles may need to be more conscious of how they use him to make sure he can last the full season.