The 2022 Philadelphia Eagles solved a lot of problems in the early stages of the offseason and NFL Draft. While the offense has become loaded with young, athletic talent, and the defense finally got speed and physicality at the LB position, one need that has gone under the radar from last year is suddenly fixed on paper. And it’s all thanks to their first-round pick, Jordan Davis.
While many fans were agitated over Jonathan Gannon’s pass defense in 2021, the run defense, especially in early downs, was an overlooked problem for the team all last year. For a team that ranked ninth in football against the run last year, the rushing defense struggled for most of the year. In 10 of the 18 games played last year, the defense gave up over 100 yards rushing.
The largest issue with the Eagles in the first half on defense was the team struggled with the run so much, they needed to play with an extra man in the box. When doing that, the secondary took a massive hit because there were less players used to be able to cover excellent QB’s.
That problem changes with Jordan Davis now with the team.
And it doesn’t go unnoticed around the NFL.
With the Eagles now solidifying the defensive linemen with Davis, the physicality and speed he plays with will ultimately dominate the line and help the secondary in the long run. Instead of a lack of pressure or shorter yards to get first downs, the defense will have an opportunity to get off the field from longer third downs and lead more to wins.
It’s a system the Eagles used to perfection in 2017, and led the team to a title. The ability to stop the run without sacrificing players in the secondary will move the Eagles from being a top ten unit on paper, to a dominating force all across the league.
And the great QB’s won’t be able to save themselves either.
Photo by Jeff Speer/Icon Sportswire
