The Philadelphia Eagles have the kinds of roster problems most teams would kill for. Too much talent and not enough salary cap space.
That’s why players like defensive tackle Jordan Davis, a first round pick (No. 13 overall) in the 2022 NFL draft, probably will need to go elsewhere to get the big-time money they deserve. Bleacher Report’s Alex Ballentine thinks Davis could be a trade target for the Arizona Cardinals and former defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon in the offseason.
Gannon was hired as the Cardinals’ head coach after the 2022 season.
“The defensive line could use the most attention,” Ballentine wrote on February 3. “The Cards were 27th in pressure rate and gave up 4.6 yards per carry. Trading for an aging pass-rusher like Trey Hendrickson would give them a player to build their pass rush around, while Jordan Davis would be an exciting young defensive tackle to help reinforce the run defense.”
Davis, 6-foot-6 and 340 pounds, is the kind of defensive tackle teams usually draft and don’t let leave until well after they’ve paid him tens of millions. In this case, Davis is just a victim of circumstance with another former Georgia Bulldog, Jalen Carter, ascending at the right time for the Eagles.
One thing is certain about Davis. If the Eagles figure out a way to beat the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX on February 9 in New Orleans, the price to sign him is only going up.
Davis Got Market Corrected by Fellow Georgia Star
The Eagles probably didn’t plan on drafting defensive tackles in the first round of consecutive drafts, but that’s what ended up happening when they took Davis and Carter in 2022 and 2023.
It was a tragic off-field incident that led to the Eagles being in a situation where Carter was even available. Projected as the No. 1 overall pick after helping lead Georgia to consecutive College Football Playoff national championships in 2022 and 2023, Carter was involved in an incident in which he was racing another car driven by Georgia staffer Chandler LeCroy that resulted in the deaths of LeCroy and Carter’s teammate, Devin Willock.
Carter was eventually arrested on charges of reckless driving and street racing and pled no contest. The scandal caused his draft stock to plummet and he fell to the Eagles with the No. 9 overall pick.
Carter On Track to Become Highest-Paid DT
While Davis could very well be traded and immediately land an extension in the neighborhood of a 3-year, $75 million contract — he’s started 34 consecutive games for the Eagles over the last 2 seasons.
The Eagles have 1 more season before they have to pay Carter, who was an NFL All-Pro and Pro Bowler in his second season in 2024 and is looked at as a foundational player for the defense and a generational talent at his position.
If you want to know about what the Eagles will have to eventually pay Carter, just look at the highest-paid interior defensive linemen in the NFL. Carter will likely get a deal that eclipses that of Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, the highest paid interior defensive lineman in the NFL, who signed a 5-year, $158.7 million contract with $95 million guaranteed at the beginning of the 2023 season.
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