The Philadelphia Eagles’ pass rush has been struggling, and people are beginning to point fingers at defensive tackle Jordan Davis and his conditioning as a possible factor. However, there may be more to the issues affecting the defensive tackle than just his physical fitness.

Despite Brian Baldinger’s claims about Davis being out of shape, BGN’s Jonny Page provided an insightful breakdown of the defensive issues against the Cardinals. He noted that Davis’ performance did not live up to the expectations of a first-round pick.

“Jordan Davis is in this team to anchor and command double teams. He gets taken out of this play easily by 1 offensive lineman. Davis has proved in both seasons that he can have moments of brilliance, but he can’t sustain this level of play. Davis wasn’t awful in this game, so I’m not picking on him, but he was a 1st round pick that doesn’t rush the quarterback. He has to do better against the run.”

Davis had a strong start to the season, and it’s important to remember that he recently demonstrated his abilities by chasing down Josh Allen just six weeks ago. He has also significantly increased his defensive snaps compared to his rookie year, playing 502 defensive snaps this season and taking 131 special teams snaps in 2023.

Conditioning has always been a focal point for the coaching staff, and it has been an area of emphasis for Davis since his first training camp. Head coach Nick Sirianni addressed this, saying:

“I think that he came to camp ready to go. Our guys in the training staff and the strength staff and sports science staff have just done a great job of knowing what our guys are supposed to play at. That’s something I’m always obsessed about is are you playing to the correct weight. I’ve had experiences throughout my career of guys being heavy and their play suffering. I’ve had experience of my guys through my career of them losing weight of what they were the year before and having phenomenal seasons.

So that’s always going to stick in my mind. I know that’s in Ted’s [Rath] mind, that’s in our staff’s mind as well of playing at the right weight. So, we are going to be on him about that. I know he came back where he needed to be, but that’s going to be something that we’re focused on. That’s not just Jordan, that’s everybody. I think he’s been running around well. Like I said, his weight was where we wanted it to be and his body fat was where we wanted it to be.”

Defensive tackles often require additional time to adjust to the NFL, and Davis seems committed to making the necessary adjustments. However, he is not the sole problem with the defense in the latter half of the season. As a former first-round pick, he is held to high standards, and maintaining excellent physical condition is a crucial part of meeting those expectations.