Time for Philadelphia Eagles DT Jordan Davis to step it up in 2024

It's time for Philadelphia Eagles' third-year defensive tackle Jordan Davis to step it up in 2024 and he can do it.

Davis, the Eagles' former No. 13 overall pick in the 2022 NFL draft, recently landed on NBC Sports Dave Zangaro's "most important list" at No. 15.

The reason being that the Eagles no longer have Fletcher Cox anchoring the defense, leaving Davis no choice but to fill the void.

Zangaro noted that Davis was off to a hot start last season with 2.5 sacks, 5 QB hits, 2 tackles for loss, and a forced fumble before collapsing in the second stretch of the season, logging a bunch of goose eggs through the last 10 games.

So, what went wrong?

Aside from the coaching circus, Zangaro pointed out how much slower Davis looked.

"It’s not like a nose tackle’s play will always be judged by production on the stat sheet," wrote Zangaro . "That’s not fair. So much of a nose tackle’s job is to eat blocks to keep his teammates clean and free. But there’s no question that Davis wasn’t playing well down the stretch last year and it’s not much of a secret why. His conditioning suffered."

The good news is that Davis has made some lifestyle changes this offseason by changing his diet and adding more conditioning to his workouts. He has also vowed to take no days off, even if it's just going for a walk outside.

Sure, Davis is still a giant 350-pound defender, but he's a slimmer and faster version.

Davis started all 17 games last year, however, he played less than 50 percent of the defensive snaps. Now, Davis is expected to take on a much larger role under new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, and getting into shape is vital.

"With the retirement of Fletcher Cox, there is going to be way more pressure on Davis and his Georgia teammate Jalen Carter in the middle of this Eagles’ defensive line," wrote Zangaro. "So much of the Eagles’ defensive success under Vic Fangio in 2024 will hinge on those two. And they know it."

According to Zangaro, here are the other players that will be important to the Eagles' success in 2024: Brandon Graham, Nakobe Dean, Milton Williams, Jake Elliott, Nolan Smith, Cooper DeJean, Reed Blankenship, Tyler Steen, Devin White, and Quinyon Mitchell.

Related: Eagles CB Darius Slay gets openly honest about Vic Fangio's coaching style