Nose tackles are hard to find. The Eagles got one three years ago in the first round and have been trying since then to find a suitable backup for Jordan Davis.
Glitz and glamor don’t usually surround a nose tackle. Nor are they stat monsters. Such is the case with Davis, but he does his job well enough as the anchor of the defensive line that helped the Eagles finish first in the league and 10th against the run.
It’s a mostly thankless job, though the Eagles rewarded him by picking up the team option on his rookie contract that will keep on their defensive line through 2026. And he does his job well enough that he checks in at No. 17 on out countdown of the top 25 Eagles on the current roster.
Eagles on Sports Illustrated beat reporters Ed Kracz and John McMullen each compiled their top 25 lists separately, and a point system determined the final list with No. 1 receiving 25 points all the way down to one point for No. 25.
Davis totaled 19 points, with Kracz ranking him No. 16 on his list and McMullen No. 17.
The list so far:
No. 25 (tie): Jihaad Campbell and Drew Mukuba
No. 24: Matt Pryor
No. 23: Adoree Jackson
No. 22: Jahan Dotson
No. 21: Kelee Ringo
No. 20: Jake Elliott
No. 19: Jalyx Hunt
No. 18: Moro Ojomo
Every conversation with Davis starts with conditioning. Is he in shape? Can he stay in shape for 17 games and whatever’s next? He could have his own commercial – the shape of things to come, or something like that.
The shape to come, the Eagles hope, is good enough to keep him on the field for three downs. He may not be the team’s best pass rusher, but they are tying to get him to refine that part of his game, and it’s skill that has been locked away for most of his football-playing career. So, it could take time.
If he can prove to be a solid pass rusher, maybe he stays on the field because he’s better than whoever the Eagles might have, or at least equal to someone else., especially when it comes to providing push in the middle.
"I definitely think that when the season comes around, I’ll understand a little bit more and the more we add to the playbook, the sky's the limit,” he said about learning to pass rush. “I'm excited about the new opportunity that's presented for me."
