Birds looking to move forward with big guy Davis
PHILADELPHIA » In addition to All-America and All-SEC honors this past season, Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis won the Bednarik Award and the Outland Trophy at Georgia, emblematic of elite status as a defender.
Davis accomplished that by reading blocks and tying up blockers while Bulldogs line mates Travon Walker, the first pick in the draft and Devonte Wyatt, selected later in the first round, made a lot of the plays.
It’s basically the role played by Davis (2.0 sacks, 5.5 tackles for loss last year) over the last five years, dating to high school. So, how are the Eagles planning to use him? They’re teaching the 6-6, 340-pound Davis to use his 34-inch arms and 10¾-inch hands to penetrate and move forward rather than move laterally and control the line of scrimmage like he did so productively with the ‘Dogs.
Davis concedes “it’s an adjustment but I try to be adaptable.
“Nothing is too hard and everybody is like helping me out,” Davis said after a camp practice Monday. “It’s different but that’s not to say it’s not better. That’s the scheme. How we operate is different. But I would say it definitely takes a lot of thinking out of it. It’s kind of like you being an offensive lineman on defense.
You’re running and whatever gets in your way you just knock it back.”
You’ll have to trust the judgment of Eagles defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon on this one. Davis ran 4.78 in the 40-yard dash at 340 pounds at the scouting combine, which shot him up draft boards. The Eagles dealt three thirdday draft picks and the 15th overall selection to move up to No. 13 for Davis. The Baltimore Ravens eyeballed him with the 14th pick, according to reports.
At the same time, Davis is playing off the nose which basically is where he’s made a living, as well. He got some snaps with the first team defense along with rookie linebacker Nakobe Dean, the third-round pick.
Though the Eagles worked in shells Monday, Davis’ transition will be a little more obvious Tuesday when the players are slated to practice in full gear. It figures to be the most physical practice of camp. As large as Davis is, and as long as those arms are, he unofficially lost his battles with rookie center Cam Jurgens in the one-on-one blocking drills Monday. Jurgens (6-3, 290) stalemated the big guy.
“There was a guy at Nebraska, came in close to 400,” second-round selection Jurgens said. “Not quite the skills of Jordan Davis, but we had a big dude at Nebraska. … Those big guys, you have to set them a certain way and you do different things. If you have a quick short guy, it’s different being able to adjust on the fly depending on who you’re going against because everybody’s going to have a different set of skills and you need to block everybody a certain way. You can’t block everybody the same way. So, it’s just recognition and knowing what you’re going to do before the ball’s snapped then doing it.”
Finding the right role for Davis should be interesting. In so many ways it looks like the Eagles envision the rookie playing the role of a young Fletcher Cox. It’s early but Davis doesn’t appear as explosive as Cox.
“Everything why we drafted the player, he’s that,” Gannon said. “He’s smart, has high football character, he can play multiple positions, and we think he’s going to be a playmaker. We’re just getting him integrated with our scheme, playing with different people, getting comfortable with what we ask him to do from a communication standpoint and a physical standpoint. We’ll see where it goes.”
• • • Tight end Grant Calcaterra is out indefinitely with a hamstring strain, according to head coach Nick Sirianni. Wide receiver Zach Pascal still is on the comeback trail from an illness he called food poisoning on his Twitter account.
Defensive tackle Milton Williams (elbow) and wide receiver Keric Wheatfall (COVID protocols) were limited.
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In the 11 on 11 drills Monday, Jalen Hurts hooked up with receiver A.J. Brown for a couple of impressive completions.
Not a great day, meanwhile, for backup quarterback Gardner Minshew, who was intercepted by linebacker Shaun Bradley and safety Marcus Epps. It was the third pick in 11 on 11s by Epps.
Minshew was intercepted targeting Reagor, but also came back to throw a sizzling spiral to the embattled former first round pick trying to hold on to a job.
• • • Among the guests Monday were Dick Vermeil, who will be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame this weekend and Vic Fangio, former head coach of the Denver Broncos and Mr. Defense in terms of modern-day scheme.
Vermeil said he just sent his acceptance speech to the folks in Canton, who will review it for the allotted eight-minute time slot. Carl Peterson is the presenter for Vermeil, who insisted on going into the HOF with the Eagles even though he won his Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams.
Hopefully for Eagles fans Fangio also thinks it’s a good idea to use Davis in an attacking manner.