McMullen: Jordan Davis Trade Cements Why Howie Roseman Is One of NFL's Best GMs

PHILADELPHIA, P.A. — Actions always speak louder than words.

Eight months after Howie Roseman handed Jordan Davis a three-year, $78 million extension that made him one of the highest-paid interior defensive linemen in football, the Eagles shipped him to Jacksonville for a 2027 first-round pick and a 2029 second-round selection.

That isn’t just a roster tweak. It’s a clear signal that Philadelphia would rather build around Moro Ojomo than live with the massive commitment they just made to Davis.

Finding the fish: Eagles’ Howie Roseman keeps generating overpays

An NFL source confirmed to Eagles On SI what the market already suggested: the Jaguars checked in on Ojomo first. They were told he wasn’t available. From there, the talks evolved to the point that the Eagles were willing to part with Davis, as long as James Gladstone played into his reputation for the overpay.

Behind the scenes, the Eagles’ posture for weeks had been that Ojomo was staying. However, most considered that to be straight out of the Roseman playbook of shooting for the stars in an attempt to generate a second-round pick for the Texas product.

The trade of Davis confirms Philadelphia is choosing the younger, cheaper, more versatile player they can actually keep next to Carter long-term.

This is also a clear indication that the Eagles believe this will be defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s last season in Philadelphia. Fangio always wants a pure nose tackle he can plug into variable fronts when needed.

Davis was that guy—the space-eating, two-gap presence who lets Fangio play the light-box looks and disguise coverages he’s built his reputation on. When the production didn’t match the contract this year, it makes sense that the organization decided it wasn’t worth locking into that personnel profile for the next three seasons if Fangio isn’t going to be the one drawing it up.

Jordan Davis played his way out of Philly

The disappointment in Davis’ 2026 tape is real. After a career year in 2025—career highs in sacks, tackles for loss, and overall disruption—the Eagles thought he had turned the corner as a more complete player. Instead, he’s been a solid-but-limited run-stuffer who has struggled to stay in ideal condition and has barely played on third down unless it’s short-yardage.

Through nine games, he ranked third among Eagles defensive tackles in snaps behind Carter and Ojomo. On obvious passing downs he has been a non-factor for most of his career.

That’s not the profile you pay $26 million a year to keep when you already have Carter locked up on a much bigger deal and a rising player like Ojomo ready to take a bigger role.

Roseman should take a hit for crafting the original extension but recovered quickly by continuing to tap into the same market inefficiency he’s exploited for years: the systematic devaluation of future draft capital.

The 2029 second-round pick is the kind of asset most GMs treat as monopoly money. Roseman treats it like currency.

Looking even better in comparison

Ultimately, Davis is a two-down player who generated a little less than what the Titans extracted for Jeffery Simmons—a more accomplished, higher-usage player who fetched two firsts and a fourth.

The Jaguars may win a Super Bowl this year after loading up with Davis, safety Jessie Bates, and defensive tackle Davon Godchaux. That doesn’t change the fact that this is one of the biggest overpayments we’ve seen in years. Jacksonville is paying a premium for a two-down player,

Former NFL executive Andrew Brandt noted that a general manager with a business and negotiating background like Roseman will continue to take advantage of GMs whose backgrounds are primarily scouting or personnel.

This trade seems to be the latest example of that.

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