The Eagles traded Jordan Davis to the Jacksonville Jaguars Monday evening, kicking off what could turn into a productive fire sale for Howie Roseman ahead of Tuesday’s NFL trade deadline at 4 p.m.
Here are five thoughts on the blockbuster trade:
An undeniable return
The first and most important detail involving this move for the Eagles is the return they received for Davis and what it represents for the rebuild they are about to embark on.
A 2027 first-round pick and 2029 second-rounder is just shy of the two first-rounders the Tennessee Titans got from the Chicago Bears in the Jeffery Simmons trade, a noteworthy comparison because both Simmons and Davis both signed contract extensions just last offseason. Simmons is three years older but is quite clearly the better player and, perhaps even more importantly, is much more of an every-down presence as a pass rusher than Davis. Simmons has six sacks this season, is among the league-leaders in pass rush snaps, and ranks seventh in total pressures among defensive linemen according to Next Gen Stats. Davis has 1.5 sacks this year, ranks 83rd in total pass rush snaps, and ranks 100th in total pressures among the same field of players.
There’s obviously the argument to be made that Davis’ run defense has intrinsic value because of the flexibility it grants a defense to operate out of light boxes in nickel personnel. Even in a down year, Davis ranks sixth among defensive linemen in run stuffs this season, a metric that tracks how often a defensive player makes a tackle that results in a positive play for the defense. Still, Simmons leads the group with 32 stops to Davis’ 25.
Going into Monday, my guess on compensation for Davis would have been much closer to a third-round pick or a future second. That isn’t revisionist history, either. It was an actual conversation I had with someone roughly an hour before the Davis trade was finalized. To get two premium draft assets for the 26-year-old reinforces one of Roseman’s biggest strengths as a general manager: Extracting maximum value on the trade market. That strength netted the Eagles a 2028 second-round pick for Cam Jurgens last month and now nets them two more premium picks for Davis, pushing Roseman’s tally to ten picks in the first two rounds over the next three seasons.
Clearing the runway for Ojomo
Aside from the draft capital acquired, the next big ripple effect from the trade is the pathway it clears for the Eagles to sign 25-year-old defensive tackle Moro Ojomo to a contract extension before free agency opens this offseason.
Many wondered if Ojomo would be the interior rusher the Eagles traded going into Tuesday’s deadline because the team’s commitment in Davis and Jalen Carter made the former seventh-round pick the odd man out. Instead, the team should now have the flexibility to pay Ojomo near the top of the market and plan for the partnership between him and Carter to serve as the foundation for the defensive front in the coming years.
Given the way this year played out, Roseman’s decision to pivot was likely the correct one and is more in line with what we’ve seen the general manager prefer in the past. Whether it was Javon Hargrave next to Fletcher Cox or Milton Williams next to Carter for the team’s run to Super Bowl LIX, the best version of the Eagles pass rushes under Roseman have featured a dynamic pass rusher next to a superstar defensive tackle to overload opposing offensive lines having to choose which one to double team.
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