Jordan Davis says he’s at peace with Pro Bowl snub: ‘I can sleep at night’
Davis' big season for one of the NFL's best defenses has apparently escaped the attention of Pro Bowl voters.
Jordan Davis says he was initially disappointed that he wasn’t voted to the Pro Bowl roster, then he took a step back.
“I’m like, hmm,” Davis said Tuesday. “That’s very selfish of me.”
His initial reaction might have seemed selfish to Davis, but it was also relatable. Every player aspires to be the best. Davis, who is finally hitting his stride in Year 4, is no different from his high-achieving counterparts.
But the Pro Bowl is an individual accolade within a team sport. Davis said he doesn’t need the external validation to know he’s a star player — all he needs is to keep working and supporting his teammates.
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“Selfishly, you want to get all the accolades, you want to be the best, you want to be considered one of the top guys in the league,” the defensive tackle said. “But at the end of the day, when you take a step back and you play selflessly, I’m satisfied. I’m more than satisfied, because I know I’m adding and I’m contributing and I’m being a force and I’m being dominant, and I can sleep at night with that.”
Davis ought to be well-rested. The No. 13 pick in the 2022 draft out of Georgia is having the best season of his career, even if he doesn’t have the gaudy sack stats to curry favor with the fans, coaches, and fellow NFL players who make up the Pro Bowl voting pool. Davis is playing a career-high 62% of the defensive snaps as he evolves into the every-down pass rusher that the Eagles had hoped he would become when they drafted him.
Even Vic Fangio, the Eagles defensive coordinator known for his brief responses, used Davis’ case to call for an overhaul of the Pro Bowl voting process.
“He should have, for sure,” Fangio said about whether Davis should have made the team. “I think they need to form a committee for the Pro Bowl. Get a couple retired coaches, couple retired personnel guys, couple retired players that will take pride in it and they name it, not all ... everybody and their mother’s got a vote.”
Saturday’s win over the Washington Commanders typified the success Davis has had this season. He was a force against the run, posting six stops, including two tackles for losses and two for no gain.
The Commanders learned the hard way what happens when one player is tasked with blocking Davis. On three of his four tackles for losses or no gain, Davis beat a solo block. On the other, he penetrated the backfield on a stunt.
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Davis is the mountain at the center of the Eagles’ operation on defense. According to linebacker Zack Baun, the 25-year-old defensive tackle makes the whole operation go.
“I feel like everything we do is built around him,” Baun said. “First, stopping the run. He’s able to two-gap. If he’s single-blocked, he’s getting off and making the play every time. He played a terrific game last week, by the way. Just such a big part of this defense.”
Davis is worthy of earning a spot on the Pro Bowl roster, Baun said.
“He’s definitely playing at that level,” said Baun, a 2025 Pro Bowler himself. “It’s definitely recognized by us, the linebackers, the DBs, everyone in this building. If you talk to him, he doesn’t really care about Pro Bowl or All-Pro. I’m sure he would like to have that honor. But he just wants to see the team succeed. Pro Bowls and All-Pros come with it.”
Perhaps Davis hid his initial dismay from his teammates. But the fourth-year defensive tackle concurred that his focus is on the immediate future for the 2025 Eagles, an accomplishment that Pro Bowlers on teams that have been eliminated from playoff contention can’t claim.
“We’ve got more things that we’re fighting for,” Davis said. “We’ve got bigger and better things. We’ve got fish to fry. We’re actually going to the playoffs. I know there’s a couple Pro Bowlers on there that’s not going to the playoffs. So, not a diss at them, but it’s just an opportunity for us to grow and get better, and we’re going to be playing our best ball in a couple weeks. So we just have to get ready for that.”
Davis is eager for more. As he looked up at the digital clock affixed to the wall of the locker room in the NovaCare Complex, Davis noted at 4:54 p.m. that he would stay in the facility for another four hours, long after the conclusion of practice.
He takes pride in the after-hours work. His growth this season has been fueled by the extra time poured into perfecting his craft, not necessarily the promise of an award.
“I spend a lot of time here because I want to get better,” Davis said. “I want to be the best I can be. I don’t think I would be at this point in my career, I wouldn’t be at this point in this season, if I didn’t spend that extra time getting better.”
Davis sees his investment paying off. His teammates and coaches feel his impact. It’s only a matter of time before the greater NFL ecosystem notices it, too.