‘Football is not linear’: Why Eagles D-lineman Jordan Davis finds Dexter Lawrence’s ascent ‘inspiring’

Jordan Davis has paid close attention to Dexter Lawrence’s rise. They come from the same state, North Carolina, and play the same position. They have similar bodies. Davis, at 6-foot-6, is two inches taller than Lawrence, but they both weigh around 340 pounds.

Davis is two years younger than the All-Pro defensive tackle who mans the middle for the New York Giants defense, but he watched closely as Lawrence ascended from one of the best high school prospects in North Carolina history to an all-conference player and two-time national champion at Clemson.

He saw, too, how Lawrence didn’t dominate out of the gate after the Giants drafted him 17th overall in 2019. Lawrence is now among the best interior defensive linemen in the NFL, but it took a few years for him to get here. After strong rookie and sophomore seasons, Lawrence’s third NFL season saw a dip. It wasn’t until his fourth season, in 2022, that Lawrence finally broke out and made a Pro Bowl team.

It is relevant context for Davis, who is in Year 3 with the Eagles. Davis, the 13th overall pick in 2022, hasn’t yet looked like a player who is going to be a perennial Pro Bowl candidate, but he’s still just 24 years old.

“It’s very hard to be ready out of the box as a DT,” Davis said Friday as the Eagles finished up their preparation for Sunday’s game vs. the Giants at MetLife Stadium. “People who can, more power to them. But it takes a lot.”

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Davis pointed to another player with a similar body, Tampa’s Vita Vea, who, like Lawrence, had some ups and downs on the way to being a top interior lineman.

“Just to see the progression of those guys, it’s inspiring,” Davis said. “I’m not going to say that it’s not. I know it’s a rival and everything, but we’re all human. We all have people that we look up to and want to be like. It’s just the way he carries himself, the way he progresses, it just lets you know that it’s not a linear game. Football is not linear.”

There are times, Davis said, using hand motions to drive the point home, when you’re on the way up and times when you’re on the way down. There are times, too, when you’re sort of riding the wave. Davis appears to be in that latter portion of the journey. He has had some positive moments this season, but also some learning experiences. He has been average against the run at times and has not applied interior pressure on the quarterback. Granted, the Eagles edge rushers haven’t done their part enough, so opposing offensive lines at times have been able to shut down Davis and Jalen Carter inside.

But Davis, like the rest of the Eagles’ defensive front, broke out Sunday vs. a banged-up Cleveland Browns offensive front. He had his highest-graded game this season, according to Pro Football Focus, which featured a quarterback pressure and three run-stopping tackles.

It is a young group of Eagles interior defensive linemen — Milton Williams is the elder statesman at 25. Fletcher Cox’s departure left an obvious void in leadership, but Davis framed the youth as a positive, saying that they’ve all been leaning on each other.

On his own performance, Davis said: “It’s good, can be better. We all can be better.” He prefers to evaluate himself after a season and instead focuses on week-to-week improvements for the entire unit. For example, Davis said, the team struggled mightily defending wide zone runs in its Week 2 loss to Atlanta, a problem that was fixed the following week during a win in New Orleans.

“Yeah, we’ve got room for improvement, but if we keep looking in the past, we’re never going to look ahead,” Davis said.

» READ MORE: With Jason Kelce and Fletcher Cox gone, the future of the Eagles could depend on their replacements

Darius Slay said “that’s the plan” when asked Friday afternoon if he was going to play Sunday.

Slay was injured during Sunday’s win over Cleveland and said he hyperextended his knee a little bit. He was a limited participant on Wednesday before sitting out Thursday’s practice.

“We just wanted to do what’s right to make sure I make it to Sunday,” Slay said.

The Eagles officially listed Slay Friday afternoon as questionable after he was a full participant in practice.

If he plays, he’ll have a tough assignment Sunday. The Giants are getting rookie receiver Malik Nabers back after he was in the concussion protocol. Nabers has 35 catches on 52 targets, 386 receiving yards, and three scores in his first four NFL games.

“He’s one of the next ones up right now,” Slay said. “He’s doing a great job … contested catches, running routes. He’s got it in him.”

» READ MORE: Eagles place Jordan Mailata on IR, rule out Dallas Goedert for Sunday’s game vs. Giants

As expected, offensive tackle Jordan Mailata and tight end Dallas Goedert were ruled out for Sunday’s game with hamstring injuries. The Eagles also listed defensive tackle Byron Young as out, also with a hamstring injury. Following Friday’s practice, the Eagles placed Mailata on injured reserve.

Carter, after sitting out Thursday’s session with a shoulder injury, returned to the practice field Friday as a full participant and did not have a game status designation. Like Slay, cornerback Eli Ricks (groin) is questionable.

The Giants, meanwhile, listed Lawrence (hip) and edge rusher Brian Burns (groin), two key defensive players, as questionable. But both players said this week that they expect to play.

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The Eagles play in Week 7 against the New York Giants. Join Eagles beat reporters Olivia Reiner and EJ Smith as they dissect the hottest storylines surrounding the team on Gameday Central, live from MetLife Stadium.