Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis lost 26 pounds during the offseason by cutting out sweets.
His weight loss has resulted in increased energy, allowing him to play more snaps and make more impactful plays.
Davis scored a 61-yard touchdown on a blocked punt return, reaching a top speed of 18.59 mph.
From one big guy to another, what the heck is the secret for Jordan Davis?
The Philadelphia Eagles’ mountain of a defensive tackle, off to such an impressive start to his fourth NFL season, has revealed a new-and-improved version of himself after losing 26 pounds during the offseason. This might be inspiring for any of us needing to drop a bit of extra weight.
“It’s really just cutting out the sweets for me,” Davis told USA TODAY Sports during a recent interview.
Call it a classic case of addition by subtraction.
Davis, listed at 6-6, 336 pounds, provided one of the most riveting highlights from Week 3 in the NFL with his 61-yard touchdown return of a blocked field goal on Sunday that put the finishing touch on Philadelphia’s comeback victory against the Los Angeles Rams.
You may marvel at the toe-drag swag by a nifty wide receiver in the end zone or correctly consider it cool when a cornerback takes it to the house with a pick-six, but for my money there’s nothing quite like the rare sight of a big fella rumbling with the football for a long-distance run to paydirt.
In Davis’ case, the ultra-athletic adventure began in the middle of the trenches as he leapt to swat Josh Karty’s kick like a basketball center would reject a shot in the lane. Then he kept his balance while in pursuit. He was already in stride, accelerating, when he scooped up the football.
And boy did he turn on the jets. According to NextGen Stats, Davis clocked at 18.59 miles an hour during his sprint – fastest by a player weighing at least 330 pounds since 2017.
“All that weight he lost, he might not make that block last year. He might not make that play last year,” star running back Saquon Barkley told reporters after the Eagles (3-0) kept their perfect record intact.
Davis, 25, would probably agree with that assessment. A week earlier, after spending a few hours chasing Patrick Mahomes at Arrowhead Stadium, Davis told me how his weight loss has made a tremendous difference in boosting his energy level.
“Like night and day,” he explained. “I feel more comfortable just being out there. I’m able to run. I cramped up, chasing after Pat (in Week 2), but I’d rather be cramping up than to be overweight and a little sluggish.”
The early results, he added, have added motivational fuel to stay consistent with a regimen that begins in the mind.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Davis said. “This was a process that started last season, really. I’m just glad everything has come to fruition. This is what I work for. I’m just glad that I’m out there.”
The Eagles drafted Davis from Georgia with the 13th pick overall in 2022, and his potential for stardom was backed by a phenomenal showing at the combine when he posted a 40-yard dash time of 4.78 seconds at 341 pounds. But then came the questions of whether he would develop into more than a one-dimensional run-plugger. The weight was part of the problem.
He clearly got the message when defensive coordinator Vic Fangio challenged him to become an every-down player. Although the Eagles use a heavy defensive line rotation, more snaps were to be had this season, given the free agent departure of Milton Williams.
“You know, they were asking me to do more,” Davis said. “To be on the field more. To make more plays, I had to change my body. I had to be more conditioned.”
In addition to the physical work, Davis knew he needed to change some lifestyle habits.
“It’s definitely a mindset thing, just realizing it’s OK to say no,” he said, referring to less-healthy food options. “That and just knowing what the bigger goal is at hand. At the end of the day, I’m here to be a key player for this team. I just want to make sure that I’m here and can provide in any way I can.”
The snap counts offer a barometer. Davis, who played 25% of the defensive snaps in the Super Bowl 59 smashing of the Kansas City Chiefs, played 87% of the plays in the season-opening win against the Dallas Cowboys – the extra load brought on by the ejection of his defensive tackle mate, Jalen Carter, at the start of the game for spitting on Dak Prescott. In Week 2, when Davis batted down two of Mahomes’ passes in extremely muggy conditions, he logged 53% of the snaps.
On Sunday, when he also chased down Matthew Stafford for a crucial sack in the third quarter, posted five tackles, including one for a loss, and had a quarterback hit, Davis was on the field for 45 defensive plays (68%). For the young season, that’s 69.5% of the defensive plays (130 of 187), with another 29 snaps on special teams in three games.
Another challenge will come in the heat at Tampa on Sunday, when the Eagles face the Buccaneers in a battle of NFC unbeatens.
More snaps and more big plays, though, are hardly the only motivators in this case.
“Also, just looking in the mirror,” Davis said. “Like, alright, it’s time to really lock in and kind of tighten up, and just really be a man and say this is the time. The buck stops here.”
Eagles coach Nick Sirianni can vouch for a different flow.
“I’ve seen him walk around with his shirt off a lot more now, which he should,” Sirianni said during his postgame press conference on Sunday. “It’s good, and he just worked his butt off. You saw it in training camp like this would happen, and he’s played good football through the first three weeks.”
It helps for Davis to stay a bit obsessed with his new habits. When we chatted in Kansas City, he was eager to hit the scale after a long day in the heat.
“I’ve got to weigh myself after this,” he said. “I shed a few.”
How often does he check on his weight?
“Every day,” Davis said. “I think my thing is just being accountable for myself. We get our weigh-ins weekly, but for me it’s more so about staying on top of it where I can see. I’m like, ‘Alright, I had a big dinner. I need a little extra work.’ Or maybe I’m not eating enough, so I’ve got to get my protein and calories in. If anything, I just need to be consistent, keep tracking it. It’s been paying dividends.”
Which is undoubtedly a winning formula for the fast big man in the middle.
Contact Jarrett Bell at jbell@usatoday.com or follow on social media: On X: @JarrettBell
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