Sometimes, free agency is all about having the right sales pitch to get a good player to join a team, and Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis might have a second career in recruiting.
The Eagles signed edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie to a one-year contract worth over $7 million as part of the first week of free agency. Ebiketie shared with the media that a 30-minute conversation with Davis helped him decide to sign with Philly.
“(Jordan) told me the obvious,” Ebiketie said via nj.com's Cayden Steele. “Philadelphia Eagles’ defense, they are going to put the work in and play together, in sync as a defense. They are going to stop the run and have the opportunity to get after the quarterback. That pretty much aligns for what I was looking for. That’s why I decided to come here.”
Jordan Davis helped Arnold Ebiketie sign with Eagles
Davis has taken on a much different role than he did at the start of last year, becoming one of the veteran leaders on this Eagles team. He showed everyone that he was willing to put in the work to lose 26 pounds last offseason, which led to the best season of his career.
In 17 games, he racked up career-highs in pretty much every category, including tackles (72), quarterback hits (six), pass deflections (six), tackles for loss (five), and sacks (4.5). That helped him earn a massive three-year, $78 million contract with $65 million guaranteed, the richest contract for a nose tackle in NFL history.
Now he is able to help the Eagles land a key edge rusher in free agency to offset the crushing loss of Jaelan Phillips to the Carolina Panthers. While Ebiketie only had two sacks a season ago with the Atlanta Falcons, he was 10th in the NFL in quarterback pressure rate among players with at least 150 pass-rush snaps, with 16.4%.
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Philly's defense is a work in progress, as the Eagles have to recover from losing three starters in free agency on that side of the ball. Davis was thankfully able to step up and help the team land Ebiketie, who could play a big role in 2026.