Did the Philadelphia Eagles make a mistake drafting Jordan Davis? One former Eagles great believes so.
Davis, and the rest of the Eagles defense, had a game to forget against the Atlanta Falcons. They couldn’t stop the run, they couldn’t pressure quarterback Kirk Cousins, and they allowed the Falcons to march 70 yards down the field in 65 seconds for the game-winning touchdown at the end of the game.
Davis only had one tackle and one pass deflection in the 22-21 loss. That was Davis’ only tackle he has had in the first two games of the season.
Overall, the Eagles have already given up 315 rushing yards and only sacked the quarterback three times to start the season.
Former Eagles linebacker Seth Joyner was disgusted what he saw in last night’s loss and had some tough words for Davis.
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More from @sethjoyner on the @WIPMorningShow:
— SPORTSRADIO 94WIP (@SportsRadioWIP) September 17, 2024
"Jordan Davis, in my opinion, was a wasted draft pick and I said that on draft night…Now for two years and two games he's proven that he cannot rush the passer. When you draft a player that high, you have to know for certain." 😳 https://t.co/ZnzFmLotXO pic.twitter.com/Birt3X4si6
“Jordan Davis, in my opinion, was a wasted draft pick and I said that on draft night,” Joyner told the 94WIP Morning Show on Tuesday. “Now, for two years and two games, he’s proven that he cannot rush the passer. When you draft a player that high, you have to know for certain.”
Jordan Davis not living up to the hype
Even though Davis is still young — he’s only 24 in his third season — he hasn’t lived up to expectations.
Davis was hyped as the next great defensive player for the Birds. After the organization selected the Georgia Bulldogs standout 13th overall in 2022, he was expected to take over for the recently retired Fletcher Cox, becoming a monster run stuffer and pass rusher. That hasn’t happened.
In his rookie year, Davis suffered a high ankle sprain which landed him on injured reserve. When he went down, the Eagles signed Linval Joseph, who stayed on as the starter when Davis came back.
In his second year, Davis seemed ready to take the next step. He started the season with 2.5 sacks, but didn’t have any after Week 7. Davis even admitted he fell off in the second-half of 2023 when the Eagles collapsed with a 1-6 record after starting out 10-1.
“I just have to look in the mirror. I’m a man and I can admit when I’m falling off. I fell off in the half-end of the year. I can admit that, but at the end of the day, we’re human. We have the ability to change that, the ability to work and get to different platforms we haven’t reached yet. I think we’ll be able to do that. It takes a lot of faith, a lot of hard work,” Davis said after the season, via Sports Illustrated.
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After slimming down heading into 2024, Davis was looking to have a strong start to the season. That hasn’t been the case, though, as Davis and the Eagles’ defense have been non-existent.
Davis is talented enough to get back on track and has shown flashes of how dominant he can be. He just needs to be more consistent.
It’s not completely Davis’ fault that the pass rush and running defense has been abysmal, but he has been part of the problem. If the Eagles want to turn things around, it’s going to start with Davis, Jalen Carter, Bryce Huff, Josh Sweat, and the rest of the defense.