As Expected, Eagles' Splash Will Come in Draft, Not Free Agency
Zach Pascal was merely a ripple in the free-agent ocean.
The former Colts receiver, who became an Eagle on Monday when he signed a one-year free-agent contract, won’t put much fear in an opposing defense, not with being graded 113 out of 155 receivers last season by Pro Football Focus, but he and head coach Nick Sirianni have familiarity with each other, so he will find a fit somewhere in the lineup.
Haason Reddick, the other free agent signing by the Eagles, is the cannonball, the pass rush specialist the defense needed. He is capable of putting fear into an opposing offense.
Other than those two, the free agency splash has been minimal.
To borrow from the Rodney Dangerfield comedy, “Back to School”, the Eagles’ Triple Lindy will come in the 2022 NFL Draft.
That is where they will make their biggest waves with five picks on the first two days. Even if they trade one or two, they will do so for future value.
One player the Eagle could certainly be in the market for, and, at 6-6, 341 pounds, would make a very large splash is Georgia defensive lineman Jordan Davis.
Heck, name a defensive player for the champion Bulldogs and he, too, would make a big wave. It’s a reason defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon was front and center for their pro day last week. You could throw a dart with a blindfold on and find a Georgia defender that would help an NFL defense.
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Davis was in Atlantic City on Friday to pick up the Chuck Bednarik Award handed out by the Maxwell Football Club.
He said that he is scheduled to visit the Eagles prior to the draft.
Each team is allowed 30 on-sight visits leading up to the first round on April 28, and Davis will be one.
That says a lot about their interest in a player that could very well be the heir to Fletcher Cox, who is now operating on a year-to-year and was the last DT the Eagles took in the first round and that was back in 2012.
Also, Javon Hargrave is in the final year of his contract.
The Eagles began the transition in the defensive tranches last year by taking Milton Williams in the third round and Marlon Tuipulotu in the sixth.
Tuipulotu didn’t see the field much, earning just 55 snaps on defense, but Williams showed enough to be excited about going forward with 30 tackles, six tackles for loss, and two sacks in 40 percent of the defensive snaps.
Add it all up and Davis makes sense – if he’s there at pick 15 or 16, both of which the Eagles own in addition to the 19th selection.
He was a four-year force with the Bulldogs, an anchor in the run game who needs to improve his pass rush, though he had five last year and 11.5 in his career.
“You know I did a lot of self-reflection and you know, I understand that’s one of my Achilles’ heels," said Davis when asked about the pass-rush criticism prior to the Maxwell Club Awards banquet.
"But that’s what I worked on in the offseason and that’s what I’m getting better at and a lot of people think that it’s end all be all at Georgia in that scheme, but I’m putting the work in and doing my best to be a complete player and do all the necessary things to be in on pass rush, too."
Teammates defensive lineman Travon Walker and linebacker Nakobe Dean could also be players the Eagles choose to make their splash.
Walker can play inside and outside, though he too, like Davis, could use polish on his pass rush. He had seven sacks last year and 13 in his three seasons with Georgia.
“He’s like a swiss-army-knife,” said Davis. “You can use him in any scheme or pretty much anything you need him to do. He can drop, he can cover, he’s a freak athlete. It’s pretty evident from pro day and combine, you know you can see for yourself with your own eyes, that kid is not human.”
Dean is an undersized linebacker who never let that affect his tenacious style of play.
“A leader, a true leader,” said Davis. “That man knows his stuff. He knows what he’s doing inside and outside, he knows every position on the field not just his. Nakobe, he’s really smart, he’s really intelligent, I mean he’s an engineer. Whoever picks him up is going to get a great linebacker."
Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglestoday.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.
