It's a big year for Philadelphia Eagles defensive Jordan Davis, and with Jalen Carter sidelined for their Week 14 matchup against the Los Angeles Chargers, Davis will be in the spotlight and essentially playing for his long-term future in Philadelphia.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell's latest article focuses on players and coaches with the most pressure in the last five games of the regular season. Davis was included as he has something to prove to the Eagles.
"Do the Eagles value Davis? Sure. He has been a useful defensive tackle since joining the organization, playing a key role on early downs against the run while forming a stiff 1-2 punch with fellow first-rounder Jalen Carter. The Eagles picked up Davis' fifth-year option after their Super Bowl run in 2024, and Davis quickly responded by winning the team a critical contest in the NFC this season by blocking a last-second field goal attempt by the Rams and returning it for a game-sealing touchdown."
"And yet, it's fair to suggest that the Eagles were hoping they would land a more consistently dominant player when they used the 13th pick on him in 2022. It seemed telling that an organization that is routinely more aggressive than just about any other in football when it comes to signing its young players to extensions chose to simply pick up Davis' fifth-year option as opposed to signing him to a long-term deal."
"Davis has had more splash plays this season, and he has managed a career-high three sacks, although those were all on snaps in which he chased down a scrambling quarterback. Playing more than 50% of the snaps for the first time as a pro, Davis is clearly a good player. Coming off a game in which the Eagles allowed the Bears to run for a whopping 281 yards, though, a defensive collapse would hurt Davis' chances of landing a contract more in line with that of a great player this offseason."
Jordan Davis is so far showing he's up to the task
Traditionally, the Eagles have been extremely proactive when extending their younger "homegrown" players; however, Davis has lacked the consistent play for Howie Roseman to pull the trigger on locking him in for the long term.
While Davis has made more memorable plays this season, like his field goal block and his career-high three sacks, the Eagles' late-season struggles could hurt him when Philadelphia goes into the offseason, Davis has hit career highs in major statistical categories for defensive players, a lot of that comes him being on the field more playing 62% of the Eagles defensive snaps, compared to his season high of 45% in 2023.
Davis is also having to compete with Carter, Moro Ojomo, and now Ty Robinson, who is on a rookie deal with the opportunity to put himself in the spotlight for Week 14. The extra competition at a more team-friendly dollar amount may be a key indicator of Davis' future.
Davis isn't going anywhere for the foreseeable future, as his fifth-year option keeps him with the Eagles in 2026—at approximately $ 12.9 million per Spotrac — unless he's traded. The 2022 first-round pick essentially has the remaining five games of the season to prove that he is worth an extension that will keep him in Philadelphia with a top-tier tax bracket.
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Regardless, at the end of the season, Davis will have been given every opportunity to earn his next contract, giving him a lot to prove by the time January comes around.