Philadelphia Eagles: That time Jordan Davis played running back

Jordan Davis is a big, big dude.

He’s an interior offensive lineman’s nightmare, a certified space eater in the run game, and an uber athlete capable of running down some quarterbacks who weigh as much as 100 pounds lighter.

Though often criticized for being a “two-down” player by his detractors, Davis still finished out his college career with 90 total tackles, 11.5 tackles for a loss, seven sacks, and a single touchdown… on the offensive side of the ball.

Yes, you read that correctly; not only is Jordan Davis a defense-changing presence at the nose tackle position, but he’s also an absolute force in the offensive run game too, at least in the two attempts he was afforded during his senior season at Georgia. If the Philadelphia Eagles are wise, maybe they’ll give “Heavy D” some run on offense too.

The Philadelphia Eagles might want to try Jordan Davis at fullback too.

In 2016, defensive tackle Beau Allen was thrust into duty on the offensive side of the ball to give it a go at fullback.

The results, unsurprisingly, were pretty good. Leading the way for then-staring running back Ryan Mathews, Allen pushed the pocket, engaged the defensive linemen, and ultimately opened up holes in the rushing game to put points on the board.

Now granted, Allen wasn’t exactly a fixture of Doug Pederson’s offense back in 2016; he played just seven offensive snaps and wasn’t tasked with running routes or handling the ball, but goodness, when Mathews got going with a full head of steam right around the goal line, having Allen lead the way certainly helped out.

Could Jordan Davis join the storied legacy of defensive linemen moonlighting on the offensive side of the ball in a midnight green uniform? Based on his college tape, he just might.

Measuring in at 6-foot-6, 340 pounds, Davis is the second-biggest player on the Eagles’ roster regardless of position, trailing just franchise left tackle Jordan Mailata.

Like Mailata, Davis is an incredible athlete for his size with elite speed, fantastic change-of-direction, and top-tier burst. While he chose to specialize on the defensive side of the ball, Davis looks more like a starting offensive tackle than a traditional nose guard and thus looks right at home when lined up either on the offensive line as a blocking tight end or deployed on the offensive backfield as either a fullback or halfback.

But hey, don’t just take my word for it, watch Davis score his first and only touchdown in Georgia’s win over Charleston Southern here, if you haven’t already.

Considering Nick Sirianni’s willingness to use Darius Slay as a gadget player on offense, I wouldn’t be too surprised to see Davis earn a super-sized offensive package if things are going well at his typical position.

In 2021, the Philadelphia Eagles had the best rushing offense in the NFL. They ranked second in attempts at 550 behind the Tennessee Titans, first in rushing yards with 2,715, and first in rushing touchdowns at 25. While the team was able to do all of that without a traditional fullback – let alone a defensive tackle moonlighting as a fullback – having a wooly mammoth-sized lead blocker punching holes in the defensive line for players like Miles Sanders and Jalen Hurts both around the goal line and situationally could prove very intriguing indeed.