Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis, who’s been on Injured Reserve the last month, is one step closer to returning.
The Eagles on Wednesday morning opened Davis’s 21-day practice window, an encouraging sign for the rookie 1st-round pick.
That clears the way for Davis to return to practice this week and hopefully return to action on Sunday, when the Eagles face Derrick Henry and the Titans at the Linc.
With our All Access Daily newsletter, stay in the game with the latest updates on your beloved Philadelphia sports teams!
SIGN UP HERE MORE: Eagles snap counts: Not getting much from Robert Quinn
Davis suffered a high ankle sprain in the Eagles’ win over the Steelers on Oct. 30 and was placed on Injured Reserve three days later, missing games against the Texans, Commanders, Colts and Packers. Players must spend at least four weeks on IR before being eligible to return.
The Eagles were scheduled to hold a walkthrough Wednesday with full practices Thursday and Friday.
Although it’s a very good sign that Davis has been cleared to return to practice, it’s still not a lock he’ll play Sunday. The Eagles generally err on the side of caution in regard to players returning from injuries.
NFL
Davis was playing better and better each week when he got hurt. Pro Football Focus ranks him as the No. 8 interior lineman against the run in the entire NFL with a grade of 77.7.
It will be interesting to see how the snaps line up for the Eagles’ six interior linemen once Davis returns.
Since Davis got hurt, the Eagles have added former Pro Bowlers Linval Joseph and Ndamukong Suh and placed second-year lineman Marlon Tuipulotu on Injured Reserve.
Joseph has averaged 28 snaps in two games and Suh 17 ½. Fletcher Cox, who was averaging 45 snaps before those additions, has averaged 40 the last two games. Javon Hargrave has gone from 44 to 39, and Milton Williams, who was averaging 26, has gotten 18 in each of the last two games.
Cox, Williams and Suh have all gotten between 43 and 48 percent of their snaps at end while Davis, Hargrave and Joseph are all exclusively interior defenders, so the Eagles will have some flexibility.
The Eagles on Wednesday also released defensive tackle Marvin Wilson from the practice squad. Wilson, once a highly regarded prospect at Florida State, was a practice-squad call-up for the Texans game and played 19 snaps. He had been on the Eagles’ practice squad all year.
They also added three players to the practice squad: Wide receivers Auden Tate and Kawaan Baker and offensive lineman Tyrese Robinson.
Tate has been on and off the Eagles’ practice squad all year and was most recently signed to the practice squad on Nov. 17 and released five days later. The 6-foot-5 Tate was the Bengals’ 7th-round pick in 2018. He has 61 catches for 799 yards and two TDs in 35 NFL games.
Baker, the Saints’ 7th-round pick last year, played in two games for the Saints last year without a reception. He was released from the Packers’ practice squad earlier this month.
Robinson originally signed to the Eagles’ practice squad on Oct. 3. He was released on Friday.
