Eagles DT Jordan Davis Ready to Grab Bigger Role, Be 'Great Example' for Rookies
PHILADELPHIA – The same conditioning questions dogging this year’s first-round draft pick of the Philadelphia Eagles, Jalen Carter, are similar to those that swirled around Jordan Davis, the team’s first-round draft pick last year.
The reasons for such questions are somewhat different in that Carter was unable to complete drills during his pro day on the campus of the University of Georgia this past March while Davis was considered a two-down player because the critique went, he wasn’t as conditioned as he needed to be while he was at Georgia.
Conditioning concerns will likely prove to be unfounded once both players can show that they are ready to play whatever snap load awaits them.
Until then…
Davis never really fully put to rest questions about his conditioning, following a season that saw him suffer an ankle injury in a Halloween game against the Pittsburgh Steelers that landed him on injured reserve. It appeared at the time of his injury that his defensive snaps were about to increase.
In his absence, the Eagles brought in a pair of street free-agent veterans, Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh.
Davis’ reps went down when he returned, and he played just 224 defensive snaps (26 percent) for the season.
This year will be different Davis said following Thursday afternoon’s OTA session in South Philly.
“Those guys were at the top of their game and I respect the hell out of them and so knowing that going into this season going into this role I'm about to take on," he said about Joseph and Suh.
“I understand that you're asking a lot more of me and that's okay, that's what I'm here for. I'm lucky that I had that experience behind those guys to see what it took. But just try to take those lessons that they gave me and not let it go to waste.”
He spent the offseason on conditioning and technique, knowing the heavier role he is about to take on this season.
“I watched the film, watch film on myself, and I just realized a lot of my technique was raw so I wanted to come in and I wanted to come in hot,” he said. “I wanted to come in sharp and especially since the guys here, new rooks, I want to make sure I set a great example for them.
“I don't wanna be the guy that falls behind or the guy that the coach has to correct my technique every time but one conditioning for sure and two, maintaining, maintaining and then doing the right thing on the field just doing my technique right, doing the right little things correctly."
Both Joseph and Suh are gone and as is fellow defensive tackle Javon Hargrave, who bolted for a huge payday with the San Francisco 49ers in free agency.
They left behind plenty of lessons for Davis.
“I can't even begin to have the wisdom that they have instilled in me but the best I can do is try the best I can do is just reteach them what I learned from them, and hopefully get the message across but just what it takes to be the best,” said Davis, who the Eagles traded up to land at No. 13 in the 2022 draft.
It's hard not to receive some wisdom when your team ends its season only a few plays away from hoisting the Lombardi Trophy.
“I was fortunate enough to go to the Super Bowl in my rookie year," Davis said. "A lot of people don't have the opportunity to sniff the playoffs in their whole career. So just to be able to have that experience and know what it takes to have those guys."
Ed Kracz covers the Philadelphia Eagles for SI's EaglesToday.
Please follow him and our Eagles coverage on Twitter at @kracze.
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