A Reminder from Eagles DT Malik Jackson

PHILADELPHIA - Earlier this week Malik Jackson said he wanted to make people remember the type of player he is.

During Friday’s two-hour padded practice with extensive live periods, the veteran defensive tackle did exactly that by torturing the interior of the Eagles offensive line in what can only be described as a dominating performance.

The Eagles, of course, have been searching for a worthy complement to All-Pro defensive tackle Fletcher Cox since midway through the 2017 Super Bowl season when injuries took hold of Tim Jernigan and refused to let go.

The organization thought it had the problem solved last season with the arrival of Jackson, now 30, but that didn't last four quarters before the former star in Denver and Jacksonville went down with a Lisfranc injury in the season-opening win over Washington.

Now it's on to Javon Hargrave, the ex-Pittsburgh stalwart who never made it to Phase 3 of training camp due to a strained pectoral muscle.

The Eagles believe Hargrave will be back by the 2020 opener on Sept. 13, however, and the plan is to ride perhaps the deepest interior in the league - Cox, Hargrave, and Jackson - as the foundation for any defensive success.

When Jackson was healthy in training camp last summer, Cox was rehabbing from his own foot surgery, so the two were on the field together for less than one full game.

“It's nice to be able to work with Fletch. It’s exciting," Jackson said Thursday after practice. "To sit there for a year and really just daydream about it and think about it, and now that I'm here, I'm just trying to stay healthy, be consistent and get back to the way I was, possibly even 110 percent better. But it’s working well."

We got a first-hand look at how well it was working on Friday in the first live practice of camp where Doug Pederson ordered a lot of situational work, everything from normal drives to hurry-up, red zone, and a backed-up offense were mixed into a session that the defensive line dominated.

Jackson had at least three sacks in the practice as he put constant pressure on whoever was wearing the red jersey.

“I have some ground to make up, especially if I can go back all the way to my last year in Jacksonville," said Jackson. "Got benched a little bit there, then came here and got injured. I'm not gonna say they forgot about me, but I think I just have some ground to make up and make people remember.”

While fans aren’t allowed at the NovaCare Complex due to COVID-19 restrictions, just over 20 reporters were vividly reminded of what Jackson can do.

Hargrave, meanwhile, was on the sideline watching his new teammates and remains a big part of the equation.

Coming off his own serious injury Jackson wants to make sure the new flavor of the month isn't feeling sorry for himself.

"As far as Javon goes, you know, it sucks but that's the name of the game," said Jackson. "And I told him, at least he can come back. Don’t come to me with no stories. I've lost a year. But I know he's a strong guy, he's a fun guy, he's working hard mentally, and when he comes back, he's gonna be great.”

Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz has mentioned playing all three defensive tackles at the same time and both Cox and Jackson are capable of playing end on occasion although Jackson had admitted pretty consistently it's not his top preference.

“I mean, I've done it before. Now, I don't want to do it consistently," said Jackson. "I really (prefer) the three-technique, but I'll do whatever the team needs me to do to win the ballgame. I'm very much a team player, and whatever coach calls, I'm in there."

John McMullen contributes Eagles coverage for SI.com's EagleMaven and is the NFL Insider for JAKIB Media. You can listen to John every Monday and Friday on SIRIUSXM’s Tony Bruno Show with Harry Mayes, and every Tuesday and Thursday with Eytan Shander on SBNation Radio. You can reach him at jmcmullen44@gmail.com or on Twitter @JFMcMullen

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