Where would you rank Davis among run stuffing DTs? Or how would you rate his level of play in that role? Elite? Very good? Good? Above average?

7 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

Yes, a NT is needed. But do you have to pay $13M for someone to do that job for 25 percent of the snaps?

He plays closer to 40% of snaps. 44% in 2023- 37% in 2024 Minimizing to make your point doesn't work.

23 minutes ago, austinfan said:

He IS the base defense, that is, Davis at NT allows Fangio to play his safeties back b/c Davis eats two blocks, so offense always outnumbered.

All he has to do as a pass rusher is collapse the pocket and allow other defensive players pick up the sack.

He doesn't do that. They take him off the field in passing situations. There's the reality of Jordan Davis and there is what people want him to be.

This idea of 'base' defense isn't even an accurate portrayal anymore. A guy playing 37% of the time isn't the 'base' defense. He's a rotational piece of the puzzle and if they can replace him for less, they will. The only reason they picked up the option is because this guarantees that they have more time to find a big NT to fill that role. But, I think there's zero chance he comes back in 2026, unless the price tag is much more closely aligned to about $6M or so per year. They didn't exercise the option because they wanted to wait until after the draft to see who they might have picked up. They picked up no one for NT, so they tag him with the option, keep him for year 5 and they realistically have two more offseasons to find his replacement.

26 minutes ago, RememberTheKoy said:

Wonder what his actual size is because those two tweets are over a 30 pound difference.

Also wonder what exactly they would even be trying him out at. Fullback?

They have to be thinking they found the next Jordan Mailata!

It's tricky figuring out what position he might play? If he's really 6'1, 274, he's a 'tweener' for most positions. A bit too small to be a lineman or a TE.

That's a good size for a running back or a safety?

2 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

Where would you rank Davis among run stuffing DTs? Or how would you rate his level of play in that role? Elite? Very good? Good? Above average?

Two ways. He is pretty good, routinely taking on two blockers. And...our linebackers often had clear paths to the ball on running plays. He is good as a player and his play helps teammates play better. Again, not a great player, but pretty good.

1 minute ago, Iggles_Phan said:

What happened? They went out and brought in Linval Joseph for $2M. Half a season for $2M and Joseph was better than Davis was.

That sort of sets the baseline price around $4M or so for a full season... add a little extra for the increase in the cap over the years and we are looking at around $4.5M - $6M for a season. They are paying him more than double that. I consider it an overpay. Now, if he played any other role, like he was drafted to be able to do, in addition to his run stuffing role, then by all means, pay him more. But he really doesn't.

What happened was that the run defense fell apart and threatened to cost the Eagles games. Howie was lucky enough to find an available Joseph who was willing to come in and do some work. You can't count on that happening every year.

Are you saying we can get the performance of the 2024 Davis plus a bit more for $4M in 2026 in the specific role he plays? Who do you have in mind?

7 minutes ago, Freshmilk said:

He plays closer to 40% of snaps. 44% in 2023- 37% in 2024 Minimizing to make your point doesn't work.

He played 16.5-25.0 percent of the snaps in the four playoff games.

5 minutes ago, Freshmilk said:

He plays closer to 40% of snaps. 44% in 2023- 37% in 2024 Minimizing to make your point doesn't work.

You are correct. 37% this past year. AND... in the Super Bowl, 14 snaps - which was 25%.

He does not play against the pass, he's not on the field. As a run stuffer NT, he's very good and very valuable. That's where the value ends. As a pass rusher, he's a liability. He's big enough and powerful enough that he SHOULD be able to push interior OL back into the pocket and collapse the entire thing... but he doesn't do it. And that's why they take him off the field so much. $13M for 2026 season. I just don't see him as worth that.

11 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

Where would you rank Davis among run stuffing DTs? Or how would you rate his level of play in that role? Elite? Very good? Good? Above average?

I'm waiting to see who answers this. How many people in this blog have watch isolated tape of all the the run stuffing DTs in this league?

16 hours ago, eagle45 said:

I always argued that it's a recipe for collapse to build the offense around a RB. I said it when we signed Barkley. Then we won a SB.

I would argue that Dillon and Shipley are outstanding RB depth. I think both have starting potential. The problem is that Barkley is irreplaceable. If he goes down, the offense changes. We could have Derrick Henry and Bijan Robinson as our #2 and #3 RBs and the offense would have to change if Barkley went down. Once Barkley either gets injured or ages out, we are going to start throwing more again. That's the backup plan.

Outstanding? Really? What have they done?

The Lions have outstanding depth with Gibbs and Montgomery. We have a guy with one impressive carry in his career and another guy who was a career disappointment in Green Bay and didn’t play a single game last season because of a neck injury.

That’s not outstanding in my opinion. Maybe there’s potential, but it’s just as likely those two fall flat on their face if forced to play high snap counts.

5 minutes ago, DrPhilly said:

What happened was that the run defense fell apart and threatened to cost the Eagles games. Howie was lucky enough to find an available Joseph who was willing to come in and do some work. You can't count on that happening every year.

Are you saying we can get the performance of the 2024 Davis plus a bit more for $4M in 2026 in the specific role he plays? Who do you have in mind?

I do not have anyone in mind, but the Eagles showed their cards. They were scouring the draft board looking for that guy and waited until after the draft to exercise the option. They didn't get that guy, so they were forced to take the 5th year option and overpay in order to guarantee that they have that role filled. But, I can tell you that when he was drafted he wasn't drafted to be just a run stuffer and play so few snaps.

They want someone in that role, that part is obvious to everyone. No one is arguing against the role he plays. The only question for discussion is how much is that role actually worth. There are some that say that $13M is too much, and others see it as worth that much. In 2 years when his deal is up, everyone will see exactly what the Eagles consider to be his value (if he resigns) or how much they weren't willing to give him (if he walks). I fully expect him to walk. Comp picks, baby! . And hopefully with all the ammunition Howie has for the 2026 draft he's able to find a guy to fit that role that won't come with the big price tag.

2 hours ago, BigEFly said:

I believe with rookie camp this weekend, the Birds have one roster spot open. Last year, the invites included some veteran players. Teams can invite five veterans. Curious if Howie does that again.

Anyone out there that would interest you? Most vets that I can think of are contract worthy and not the tryout worthy players. I'm sure there's an intriguing name or two we could come up with.

2 hours ago, Sack that QB said:

He's really good in College Football 25(I don't actually play sports games, I only bought it recently because it was on sale on Amazon for $5 so I said what the hell and decided to play as UNC for some reason).

He was a stud at UNC (not even taking his digital representation in to account). He's built like BG. Intriguing name to bring it.

34 minutes ago, Freshmilk said:

Jordan is a good player, not a star. Good players make good money in the NFL. This idea that he's getting paid to be a support DT for Carter is ridiculous. Minds that have too much time to believe their own thoughts based on connecting what they believe are related dots think stuff like this. Your hope is safe. He's being paid because he adds value, not because he subtracts value and is friends with an unstable, chaotic, untrustworthy star.

I agree 100% with this. He's a good player. He is not a star. And I think that he is getting paid money that is higher than his worth. $13M is the 26th highest amount for any interior DL in the NFL for 2025. Next year it might be about 30. Then you look at his impact and I think that he's not in the same category as those guys.

It really comes down to his role. The Eagles see his role as so vital they need to ensure they have a capable player in that role. They weren't able to land one in the draft to fill that niche if they let him walk after this season as a UFA, so they picked up the option out of need, not because they were happy to do it. Howie wants a cheaper NT, just like he wants a cheaper TE. Both Davis and Goedert are good players. The only argument anyone is making about them is how expensive they are relative to that value.

2 hours ago, ManuManu said:

So I mentioned Michael Silver’s story inside the Jags draft room…

So the new GM made 31 laminated cards of players he really wanted to draft. He made nine picks and eight of them were among the 31. He apparently wanted to draft RJ Harvey at the top of round 3. Down wanted to trade up to get him and he decided to sit back and rely on the board. He also correctly predicted the Rams taking Terrance Ferguson in round 2.

I remember reading a book about the draft. Rich McKay was the GM of Atlanta at the time, and predraft he correctly predicted more than half of the draft picks they ended up making.

What’s the point of all this? I don’t really know. I just find the whole process fascinating and love to see the innerworkings.

21 minutes ago, ManuManu said:

He played 16.5-25.0 percent of the snaps in the four playoff games.

So your theory is that will be his play % in the regular season?

15 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

I do not have anyone in mind, but the Eagles showed their cards. They were scouring the draft board looking for that guy and waited until after the draft to exercise the option. They didn't get that guy, so they were forced to take the 5th year option and overpay in order to guarantee that they have that role filled. But, I can tell you that when he was drafted he wasn't drafted to be just a run stuffer and play so few snaps.

They want someone in that role, that part is obvious to everyone. No one is arguing against the role he plays. The only question for discussion is how much is that role actually worth. There are some that say that $13M is too much, and others see it as worth that much. In 2 years when his deal is up, everyone will see exactly what the Eagles consider to be his value (if he resigns) or how much they weren't willing to give him (if he walks). I fully expect him to walk. Comp picks, baby! . And hopefully with all the ammunition Howie has for the 2026 draft he's able to find a guy to fit that role that won't come with the big price tag.

All that is fine. My main point is that we have to be certain the position is filled even if that means overpaying a bit. We’ve done that now and have two years to figure it out.

The Dalvin Tomlinson contract for comparison. He did get up to 60% of the snaps, and on some bad teams (who likely need to face the run more).

52 minutes ago, Freshmilk said:

Jordan is a good player, not a star. Good players make good money in the NFL. This idea that he's getting paid to be a support DT for Carter is ridiculous. Minds that have too much time to believe their own thoughts based on connecting what they believe are related dots think stuff like this. Your hope is safe. He's being paid because he adds value, not because he subtracts value and is friends with an unstable, chaotic, untrustworthy star.

Did someone say the Georgia angle was THE reason? Or just that it was an additional extra?

I'm entirely too excited about Rucker. I had no idea he didn't get drafted. The longest of long shots as a rookie camp invite and the chances of him making the 90-man for the rest of the offseason are extremely slim, but man he's an intriguing guy.

1 hour ago, Aerolithe_Lion said:

His height-weight ratio is insane. Linebacker?

Fullback

11 minutes ago, Iggles_Phan said:

I agree 100% with this. He's a good player. He is not a star. And I think that he is getting paid money that is higher than his worth. $13M is the 26th highest amount for any interior DL in the NFL for 2025. Next year it might be about 30. Then you look at his impact and I think that he's not in the same category as those guys.

It really comes down to his role. The Eagles see his role as so vital they need to ensure they have a capable player in that role. They weren't able to land one in the draft to fill that niche if they let him walk after this season as a UFA, so they picked up the option out of need, not because they were happy to do it. Howie wants a cheaper NT, just like he wants a cheaper TE. Both Davis and Goedert are good players. The only argument anyone is making about them is how expensive they are relative to that value.

$$ related to value is a circular conversation. He's getting paid $13 million for one season, not 5 more years at $13 million per or more. It's not the tragedy some in here are making it out to be.

1 hour ago, Connecticut Eagle said:

Ole Miss is $50k a year out-of-state. He's coming home to enroll at community college.

He better enroll in a trade.

Higher upside at EDGE, Rucker or APR?

6 minutes ago, bpac55 said:

I'm entirely too excited about Rucker. I had no idea he didn't get drafted. The longest of long shots as a rookie camp invite and the chances of him making the 90-man for the rest of the offseason are extremely slim, but man he's an intriguing guy.

I think hes at least as good a prospect as guys like Tarron Jackson and Patrick Johnson were. Could see him getting a PS spot.