Eagles Notebook: Eagles Gamble With Jordan Davis Pays Off Big

Eagles notebook: Eagles gamble with Jordan Davis pays off big originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia

Back in April, when the Eagles exercised that fifth-year option for Jordan Davis, it didn’t seem like a sure thing.

The 2022 first-round pick from Georgia certainly wasn’t a bust but it was obvious that he hadn’t lived up to his draft status. And by exercising that option, the Eagles were guaranteeing his 2026 salary of over $12.9 million.

The Eagles got a steal.

Because the 25-year-old Davis showed up this season in the best shape of his football life and has been having an extremely productive fourth NFL season. On Monday night in Los Angeles, Davis had another 1/2 sacks.

For the season, Davis now has 4 1/2 sacks in just 13 games after having 3 1/2 in his first three seasons (47 games). In 2025, Davis is averaging a sack every 120.9 snaps after averaging a sack every 323.1 snaps in his first three seasons.

Here’s a look at Davis’s stats in his career:

Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio this week said Davis has “definitely” improved his technique but Davis’s weight loss and improved conditioning have played a big part.

While his weight and conditioning level has been talked about since he entered the NFL, Davis has been taking it seriously this year. He was down 26 pounds to start the season and it’s paying off.

Davis this week said it’s well-known in the NFL that the white jerseys are tighter than other colors. The Eagles wore white on Monday night.

“So if you really feel good in that white jersey, you’re really doing something,” Davis said. “Feeling-wise, it’s been great, it’s been amazing. Like I said, coming into this year, I just wanted to be the best player I can for the defense, for the team. Whether that’s playing 25 snaps or whether that’s playing 50 snaps, I want to go out there and play with full effort, fanatical effort.”

Through 13 games, Davis has already played a career-high 544 snaps (62%) and he’s still performing at a high level.

Can Eagles’ DL continue to dominate?

Even without Jalen Carter, the Eagles’ defensive line got after Justin Herbert on Monday Night Football. They had 7 sacks and 28 pressures in the Week 14 loss.

What’s it like playing behind a line like that?

“Oh it’s amazing,” linebacker Zack Baun said this week. “There’s no better feeling than sitting back in coverage and watching the quarterback just getting swarmed.”

The Eagles’ pressure rate of 68.3% from that game is the highest for any NFL team in a single game this season.

It was just the fifth 7+ sack game in the Nick Sirianni Era and just the second since Vic Fangio took over the defense at the beginning of 2024. Last season, the Eagles had 8 sacks against the Giants on the road.

Entering Week 14, the Eagles were tied for 22nd in the NFL with 24 sacks. Entering Week 15, they’re tied for 15th with 31. So they jumped up seven places with one game.

And they should have a chance to get after Kenny Pickett on Sunday afternoon. The Raiders have given up a league-high 50 sacks in 13 games this season.

The long snapper swap

The Eagles this week activated long snapper Charley Hughlett off Injured Reserve. Hughlett, 35, suffered a core muscle injury in Week 4 and needed surgery.

He was hoping to be back a couple weeks ago but had a “minor hiccup” with some soreness that delayed his return minimally. But he’s healthy now and will play on Sunday afternoon.

In recent weeks, Hughlett was on the field as a spectator more often and the Eagles made it clear they were going to go back to him when healthy. That meant that Cal Adomitis, who spent nine weeks with the team as the replacement long snapper, was released earlier this week. This is the weird human element of being in the NFL.

“It’s always the weird dynamic with specialists because it’s not like the offensive line where there’s 18 guys on a roster,” Hughlett said. “It’s always a weird dynamic. For me, I just try to be friendly and nice with everybody. Everybody knows the reality of this business in our position and you don’t really need to talk about it. Cal is an awesome dude and he did a great job while he was in and he’s a young guy so he’s got a long career ahead of him. So he’ll be just fine.”

Sirianni’s involvement

Leading up to Monday night’s game in Los Angeles, an ESPN report indicated that head coach Nick Sirianni had been more involved in offensive preparations that week. And then after the game, Sirianni confirmed it.

But on Thursday, offensive coordinator Kevin Patullo downplayed that involvement.

“I’ve been here obviously for five years, so it’s funny because it’s really no different than any other year as far as Nick being involved,” Patullo said. “When you go back to Shane (Steichen), Kellen (Moore), myself, Brian (Johnson), whoever, he’s always been involved. He always knows what we’re doing and he’s an awesome resource for all of us as coordinators.”

Whatever happened during the week leading up to the Chargers game, it wasn’t enough to help the Eagles get a win. They lost 22-19 in overtime and managed to score just one touchdown in 14 possessions. The good news is that they did move the football, picking up 365 yards and 19 first downs.

So maybe there was some positive effect of having Sirianni more involved.

“You go back to our first couple of years, I mean, he was extremely hands-on and that’s the way he’s always been,” Patullo said. “So, it’s super beneficial, his expertise in stuff. Him and I have worked together obviously every year in so many different ways, whether it was head coaching stuff, offensive stuff. We work really, really well together. It’s fun and a good process to have him throughout the week to bounce things off him and get it going.”

Huge favorites 

The Eagles are 11 1/2-point home favorites against the Raiders on Sunday. This is the ninth time under Nick Sirianni that the Eagles have been 10+ point favorites entering a game. They are 6-2 in those previous 8 games but have covered the spread just twice.

Their last loss in a situation like this is going to make you shudder. The Eagles were 12-point favorites against the Cardinals in Week 17 of the 2023 season and lost 35-31 after blowing a 15-point lead at halftime.

Here’s a look at the Eagles’ history in games where they have been favored by 10+ points in the Sirianni Era:

Week 14, 2024:  Win (-13.5) Eagles 22, Panthers 16 — Did not cover
Week 17, 2023: Loss (-12.0) Cardinals 34, Eagles 31 — Did not cover
Week 16, 2023: Win (-13.5) Eagles 33, Giants 25 — Did not cover
Week 18, 2022: Win (-16.0) Eagles 22, Giants 16 — Did not cover
Week 10, 2022: Loss (-10.5) Commanders 32, Eagles 21 — Did not cover
Week 9, 2022: Win (-13.5) Eagles 29, Texans 17 — Did not cover
Week 8, 2022: Win (-10.5) Eagles 35, Steelers 13 — Covered
Week 16, 2021: win (-10.0) Eagles 34, Giants 10 — Covered