Eagles’ Desai on Jordan Davis: ‘Go find another human being that looks like him’

In his rookie season, Philadelphia Eagles DT Jordan Davis got off to a great start. Davis started five of the first seven games; he recorded 14 total tackles and had four quarterback pressures.

However, Davis suffered a high ankle sprain in Week 8 and missed three games. 

After the injury, the 13th overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft was not the same player. He finished the 2022 season with 18 total tackles. 

Coming into the 2023 season, Davis, who listed at 6-6, 336 pounds, appears to be in fantastic shape.

On Friday, Eagles defensive coordinator Sean Desai discussed how great Davis has looked at this point.

“I love the shape that he’s come in; I love the mentality that he’s been playing with,” Desai said. “I love what [Defensive Line] Coach [Tracy] Rocker has done with him to keep him motivated and keep him going. It’s early. We want to see that day in and day out. We’re a long ways away from playing a regular season game right now, so it’s about focusing on that process and being mentally tough enough to go through that process and play at the same level every day in this heat, in these conditions, and those things are real. That’s really what we want to see of everybody, including him.”

Desai was asked about Davis as a pass rusher, and according to him, not many players look like the Davis.

“You see him,” Desai said. “Go find another human being that looks like him, so I think that part of it. There are not many people built like that. He’s strong. He’s fast. He’s quick. He’s powerful. It’s about putting it all together and then us helping him put it all together and getting the right combination of guys in there and being impactful. But we just need guys to be really great right now with the techniques that they’re learning and the fundamentals. That’s really the primary focus of this.”

The 23-year-old looks the part, and if he stays healthy, he would’ve had a very good rookie season. With Javon Hargrave off to the 49ers, Davis will have more of an opportunity to make a significant impact for the Eagles in 2023.