PHILADELPHIA – After four weeks of rehabbing an ankle injury and watching from the sidelines, Eagles defensive tackle Jordan Davis is set to return to the field in a game where the team could use his skill set against a run-focused team. However, the team will be without one for their important secondary players for at least four weeks.
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The Eagles activated Davis off injured reserve Saturday, meaning the rookie defensive lineman will be available to play against the Tennessee Titans Sunday afternoon at Lincoln Financial Field. In a corresponding move, the Eagles placed safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson on injured reserve, meaning Gardner-Johnson would not be eligible to return until the Eagles play the New Orleans Saints, his old team, on New Year’s Day. The Eagles also elevated linebacker Christian Elliss from the practice squad.
Davis, who has 14 tackles this season, has been stout against the run, often taking double teams that freed other defenders to get to ball carriers when he lined up over the center in the team’s five-man defensive front alignment. After Davis injured his ankle against the Pittsburgh Steelers and landed on IR, the team had issues stopping the run against the Houston Texans and Washington Commanders, necessitating the signings of defensive tackles Ndamukong Suh and Linval Joseph.
Since the Eagles activated the 21-day practice window on Davis Wednesday, he has not missed a session, helping to lead to the decision to activate him. It is not immediately known the number of snaps Davis will play. Still, his return bodes well for the Eagles’ attempts to stop the effectiveness of the Titans run game led by Derrick Henry, who is currently second in the league in rushing with 1,048 yards.
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Gardner-Johnson suffered a lacerated kidney in last Sunday’s win against the Green Bay Packers. Since the Eagles acquired Gardner-Johnson from the Saints in a trade before the regular season began, he has made helped the Eagles lead the league in takeaways (15). Leading the league in interceptions with six, the loss of Gardner-Johnson means the Eagles lose a ball-hawking presence in their secondary who was working well with fellow safety Marcus Epps in preventing receivers from going over the top of the defense and giving up long pass plays.
Reed Blankenship, who came in once the injury occurred, finished the game with six tackles and an interception off Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Now that the Titans have had a week to prepare for the Eagles defense, they could test him early. The Titans could use a lot of motions and route combinations to get single coverage against Blankenship. Blankenship will also have to make sure that he does not completely sell out to stop the run and not let any Titans receivers go over the top, allowing one of the explosive plays the Eagles try to avoid.
The elevation of Elliss is one of the moves the Eagles are making to improve their special teams units. After the Eagles allowed Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon to amass 172 kickoff return yards, including a 53-yard return, changes were going to be made. The Eagles special teams have been an issue all season, and the team has to try any and all options to fix them before they wind up costing them a game.
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Chris Franklin may be reached at cfranklin@njadvancemedia.com.
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