Philadelphia Eagles: What’s next for Marlon Tuipulotu?

The addition of Jordan Davis is going to make every member of the Philadelphia Eagles‘ defensive rotation better.

As Nakobe Dean pointed out during his rookie mini-camp press availability, Davis is a space-eater in the trenches who simply can’t be blocked by one man alone. His presence up front gives linebackers like Dean more time to operate and frees up more one-on-one looks for other defensive linemen, be they tackles, ends, or the SAM rusher Jonathan Gannon intends to use more in 2022.

Whether deployed alongside former franchise cornerstone Fletcher Cox, reigning Pro Bowler Javon Hargrave, and 2021 third-round pick Milton Williams, who ran a blazing fast 4.67 40 coming out of LA Tech, Davis gives the Eagles exemplary optionality and an ability to play to the strengths of an opposing offense, instead of having to take what they are given.

Surely Jordan Davis is going to be a fixture of the Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive front for years to come, but what about the other DT Howie Roseman selected in the 2021 NFL Draft, Marlon Tuipulotu? After an incredibly quiet rookie season, does the former sixth-round pick out of USC have any chance to make an impact, let alone the roster this fall?

The Philadelphia Eagles’ defensive line may be too loaded for everyone to eat.

In 2021, Marlon Tuipulotu was a defensive afterthought.

Of the five defensive tackles who made the team’s initial 53-man roster, Tuipulotu ranked fifth in every traditional statistic and was largely used as a run-stuffing rotational reserve, assuming he was used at all. Despite staying relatively healthy, the collegiate Trojan logged just 55 defensive snaps over five appearances and only recorded five tackles to his name, one solo and four assisted.

Theoretically, Hasson Ridgeway’s westward journey to chase gold in San Francisco should have been good news for Tuipulotu, as he would slide up a spot on the proverbial depth chart, but the addition of Jordan Davis, when coupled with the return of Brandon Graham, could effectively eliminate his spot in the rotation entirely and cast doubt on his overall future in South Philly.

Now granted, if Tuipulotu does stick it out and ultimately finds a way to stay on the active roster for the entire 2022 season, his prospects for playing time open up considerably in 2023, as Fletcher Cox and Javon Hargrave will be free agents next March and both aren’t expected to return. While Tuipulotu doesn’t have the athletic profile the Eagles are looking for at defensive tackle, as he ran his 40 half a second slower than Davis despite weighing 34 pounds lighter, he still projects as a Ridgeway-esque 4-3 run stuffer, which is necessary in a post-Cox/Hargrave world.

If Tuipulotu can stick it out one more season, he could find himself with a solid, though not spectacular spot in the Eagles’ defensive rotation for the next two seasons.

Is Marlon Tuipulotu a lock to make the Philadelphia Eagles’ roster this fall? No, the team signed former Cincinnati Bengals fourth-round pick Renell Wren back in February and further filled out their 90-man roster with Idaho defensive tackle Noah Elliss of the Elliss football dynasty via the UDFA market. But if he does stick around and find a way to outlast his competition, it could predict a larger role down the road, even if that production probably won’t come in 2022.