Jordan Davis’ ankle injury was the lone negative in the Eagles’ victory. How will he be replaced?

Jordan Davis wore a walking boot on his right leg, but needed crutches as he inched his way across the home locker room at Lincoln Financial Field. The defensive tackle’s ankle injury was probably the lone dark cloud in the Eagles’ 35-13 dismantling of the Steelers on Sunday.

But despite his postgame appearance and needing a cart to exit the field late in the first half, Davis’ injury isn’t believed to be season-threatening. Initial tests indicated that the first-round rookie suffered a high ankle sprain that could sideline him for four to six weeks, an NFL source said, confirming an initial NFL Network report.

The Eagles didn’t miss a beat after his departure, but with the trailing Steelers in desperation pass mode, there were few opportunities to see how the unit would perform without the 6-foot-6, 340-pound nose tackle in the middle of the run defense.

“It’s definitely going to change some things,” defensive end Josh Sweat said. “But we’ll adapt.”

While Davis averaged only 35% of snaps on defense through the first six games, he was a hulking presence in the base five-man front. Javon Hargrave and backup Marlon Tuipulotu are the obvious candidates on the roster to replace him, but few can match his size and ability to occupy space and blockers.

“Two on me,” Davis often says, “somebody’s free.”

The 7-0 Eagles, though, are seemingly as equipped as any team to sustain the loss. They’ve been relatively healthy. Defensive end Derek Barnett (ACL) has been the only regular to go down for the season thus far.

But general manager Howie Roseman, who last week acquired veteran edge Robert Quinn from Chicago, won’t be afraid to make more moves ahead of Tuesday’s trade deadline if Davis’ absence, or any other position, requires an upgrade.

» READ MORE: What’s it like for Robert Quinn to join an Eagles team with Super Bowl aspirations? Jay Ajayi knows firsthand.

The Eagles as they are, though, are humming. The offense generated 401 total yards, averaged 7.6 yards per play, and struck quick with four of their five touchdowns — three on Jalen Hurts passes to A.J. Brown — coming from 20-plus yards out.

The defense did its part, as well. A first-series third-down sack from outside linebacker Haason Reddick set the tone as the Eagles’ pass rush harassed and sacked rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett six times.

“That’s a dang good day to me,” said Quinn, who was held sackless but faced his share of double teams.

Hargrave, facing his former team, tallied a team-high two sacks, the second a strip that resulted in an Avonte Maddox fumble recovery. Pickett was forced into another turnover when linebacker T.J. Edwards deflected a pass into the waiting arms of safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson.

The 2-6 Steelers gained 144 yards on the ground and averaged 6 yards a carry, but some of their production came on draws or when Pickett was forced to scramble. When Davis was lined up over the center, though, Pittsburgh running back Najee Harris (eight carries for 42 yards) found few holes.

Davis’ role, early in the season, has been primarily at nose tackle. But defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon sprinkled in a few more pass-rush snaps for the rookie. Davis’ injury occurred in four-down personnel. He was over the center, though, and when guard James Daniels came over and doubled him, Davis fell over.

“It was just one of them plays where he got rolled up and somebody fell on him,” defensive tackle Fletcher Cox said.

Most of the Eagles’ defensive linemen said they hadn’t spoken to him after the game. Rookie linebacker Nakobe Dean, his former teammate at Georgia, said he did.

“We don’t really know what [the injury] is,” Dean said, “but he seemed to be in good spirits.”

Hargrave is likely to be the one impacted most by Davis’ injury. He handled nose tackle duties the most last season with 196 snaps over the center. This season, he has lined up there only 12 times. That was often his role during his first four seasons in Pittsburgh.

But the Eagles projected Hargrave’s pass-rush skills for former coordinator Jim Schwartz’s aggressive defense. He struggled his first year in Philly. Injuries played a part. Upon his return to Pittsburgh in 2020, the Eagles lost. Hargrave did have a half-sack.

“We got beat down in 2020,” Hargrave said. “That’s kind of what we were talking about, going out here and get a little revenge.”

Despite having to play more nose, Hargrave was the Eagles’ best interior rusher last season. But his production declined late last season. Could it have been all the extra snaps in the trenches?

“It’s whatever the coaches want,” Hargrave said when asked if he would be Davis’ immediate replacement. “I can play it, but I don’t know. We have to see what they’re talking about this week.”

Tuipulotu has been Davis’ primary backup, but he only played 14 snaps over center before Sunday. Defensive tackle Milton Williams has yet to fill the role, but he could be asked to spell Hargrave and Tuipulotu on occasion. The bigger Marvin Wilson is on the practice squad and could get a promotion.

“It just gives another opportunity for someone else to step in,” defensive end Brandon Graham said. “But I’m hoping that ain’t the case for him because that boy — he’s been working his butt off. You can tell that he’s been getting comfortable with what they’re asking him to do.”

» READ MORE: Jordan Davis is downplaying the viral video hype, but the Eagles hope he has a trickle-down effect

Quinn joined the Eagles on Thursday after Wednesday’s trade. When the 32-year-old veteran walked out for his first practice, Cox delivered the same message captains at other positions have sent to newly arriving players.

“When we get guys that are new here coming from a different organization, they really don’t know what to expect,” Cox said. “First couple words at practice I said, ‘Hey, man, what’s up. … Listen, we practice hard here.’

“And his words were, ‘That’s all I need to hear.’”

Quinn is the mild-mannered type and should fit into a locker-room culture that has seemingly accepted all personalities. Davis may have arrived with much fanfare, but it has been his considerable personality — and not his size — that has drawn him to his teammates.

“He’s just a big, happy guy. He keeps everybody up, dancing, laughing, smiling,” Williams said. “So to see him go down, it hurt a little bit. But we’re going to keep playing for him.”