Eagles D-Line on Ferocious Start to Season Thanks to Rabid Bulldogs
The Philadelphia Eagles lost defensive tackle Javon Hargrave to the San Francisco 49ers in free agency, one of the five best players to reach the open market last offseason. And yet, if the first two games of the 2023 season are any indication, the Eagles will have at least as good of a defensive line as they did a year ago, if not better.
After rushing for a career-high 175 yards in Thursday night's 34-28 win over the Minnesota Vikings at Lincoln Financial Field, D'Andre Swift is rightfully at the forefront of the conversation Friday. But it's two other former Georgia Bulldogs stars that have stood out the most on the interior of the defensive line thus far.
There's just a certain look that superstar defensive linemen have, and Jalen Carter has it. The No. 9 overall pick in this year's NFL Draft recorded a sack of quarterback Mac Jones in Week 1's win over the New England Patriots. He followed that up with two tackles -- one of which was for a loss -- on Thursday against the Vikings.
After being selected with the 13th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, Jordan Davis' impact during his rookie season was minimal. He already seems to have taken a major step forward in his second season, including being a game-wrecker against the Vikings.
Through the first two weeks of the season, Davis has eight combined tackles, three quarterback hits, two tackles for a loss, 1.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
On top of Carter and Davis, six-time Pro Bowler Fletcher Cox had two quarterback hits Thursday. Edge rusher Josh Sweat had five quarterback hits, including a sack of Minnesota's Kirk Cousins. Brandon Graham and Haason Reddick haven't even really entered the conversation yet, but you can bet defensive coordinator Sean Desai will work to find ways to get those two involved in the coming weeks.
Jordan Davis had a monster performance in Week 2. (USA Today)
USA Today
The Eagles reached the Super Bowl in 2017 and 2022 in large part because they had multiple units worth of starting-caliber defensive linemen, ultimately overwhelming opposing offensive lines and quarterbacks. They appear to have that type of group once again in 2023.
And perhaps the scariest part for the rest of the league is that Carter and Davis are both early in their rookie contracts. Cox and Graham are likely nearing the end of their excellent careers, but they could very well pass the torch to Carter and Davis, who may anchor the Eagles defensive line for the next decade.
