Step inside the Eagles' locker room on Tuesday afternoon, and much of the conversation surrounded the NFL's Pro Bowl announcement.
Five Eagles made the initial cut, but most of the attention was on Jordan Davis, the fourth-year defensive tackle who is enjoying a breakout season. Davis curiously wasn't even named a Pro Bowl alternate.
Reporters and players called Davis a "snub" from the Pro Bowl, but it wasn't long ago that some people were questioning his future.
The Eagles traded up in the 2022 first round to select Davis No. 13 overall after he posted a historic NFL Combine workout and possessed a unique height, weight, speed, and strength combination while having a decorated career at Georgia. However, through three seasons in the NFL, his production didn't jump off the page.
Year 4 has been different, though. Davis has established himself as a premier defensive tackle in the NFL. He has 4.5 sacks already this year, more than his first three seasons combined, and had an iconic Eagles moment by blocking a potential game-winning field goal attempt against the Rams and returning it for a touchdown.
It has taken some time, but Davis is rounding into form in Philadelphia. If that story sounds familiar to Eagles fans, it's because it is. Brandon Graham, also drafted No. 13 overall but 12 years before Davis, had a slow start to his career.
He only played 16 games across his first two seasons and had three total sacks. Now, Graham is an Eagles legend and watching closely as Davis takes a leap.
"He's gonna be way better than me," Graham said. "It was tough in the beginning, for sure, the first couple years. But I feel like with anything, you give them time, they find their stride, and that's what he's doing right now. He found his stride, and he found his way that he's leading in the way that he's just being himself and just going out there and building his confidence every game.
"He ain't even hit all the way there yet. He still got a whole bunch more, and that's why I'm excited for him because I really feel like he knows that people don't wanna see him [on the field]. Now I'm just trying to make sure he remains humble like he's doing and making sure that he's continuously working one day at a time, and taking his rest when he's supposed to, and making sure he's enjoying it."
Graham has a one-of-one perspective on playing in Philadelphia. No player has played more seasons or games for the Birds than Graham, but there was a point early in his career when he was on the brink of getting waived.
He rebounded, earned the respect of the city, and went on to make the biggest defensive play in Eagles history, strip-sacking Tom Brady to help secure Philadelphia's first-ever Super Bowl victory.
So when he saw what Davis was going through early in his career, he knew that didn't have to be the end of his story.
"I just told him, 'Man, it's gonna come. Just make sure that you're learning as you're in this hard part of your life,'" Graham said. "It really ain't that bad, it's only as bad as we make it in our head. I felt like, for him, he's just conquered that part. He already had the tools. It was just more about just conquering that person that's telling you, 'But what if? But what if I can't?' Those doubts that pop in your head, you gotta try to minimize them, and I think he's done that with just his work ethic and what he's been doing."
With Davis' big season on the field has also come a more vocal person off the field. He has always been a boisterous, fun-loving person, but that has reached another level in the locker room this year.
Close your eyes when inside the Eagles' locker room and the two players you'll hear laughing and talking the most are probably Davis and Graham. Davis has emerged as a leader, and Graham is seeing it first-hand.
"I'm loving it because he's doing it the way he does it," Graham said. "That's the biggest thing, whenever you're doing anything, you can consistently do that. ... I think he's just got a whole bunch of growth that I know he's gonna tap into. I'm glad that everything's starting to show up a little bit for him."
In a matter of months, the conversation surrounding Davis has totally changed. There are no more questions about his production or ability to live up to being a first-round pick.
Davis has arrived, and Graham knows this is just the beginning.
"I know for sure it's a good conversation to have, when people saying, 'Man, you got snubbed and all that,'" Graham said. "I know he's not worried about it (missing the Pro Bowl), but I'm glad his name is on people's radar." — Written by Matt Ryan
