Jordan Davis has mature response to being Pro Bowl snub

Jordan Davis wasn’t going to lie. The Eagles’ defensive tackle is having a breakout season, so he wanted to be named to the Pro Bowl.

And he was snubbed.

“It was a little disheartening,” Davis said by his locker on Tuesday. “I won’t even sit there and lie. But at the end of the day, that’s just the decision of the fans and I guess the people who voted. I don’t have any say in that. All I can do is just continue to work. I think that’s the biggest motivation for me is just continue working. 

“Pro Bowl, while it’s good to have, it doesn’t tell the story of the journey that I’ve been through. And all this work that I’ve been putting in for myself, I don’t do it for the Pro Bowl. I do it for the team. I’m just satisfied getting better and playing my best ball.”

A few days after the Eagles clinched the NFC East, they had five players named to the NFC Pro Bowl roster: DT Jalen Carter, CB Quinyon Mitchell, CB Cooper DeJean, LB Zack Baun and C Cam Jurgens. The most notable omission from the list was Davis, who has arguably been the Eagles’ most important defensive player this season.

While Davis admitted he would have liked the recognition, his response to the snub unsurprisingly showed a ton of maturity.

“Everybody hopes to be a Pro Bowler,” Davis said. “Selfishly, as athletes, we want to do stuff like that. But at the end of the day, I can only feel that way because I’m being selfish. And when I looked at it and I took a step back, I was like, ‘Mmm, that’s very selfish of me. Let me give back. Let me pour my cup into my teammates.’ That’s what I do it for. Selfishly, you want to get all the accolades, you want to be the best, you want to be considered one of the top guys in the league. 

“But at the end of the day, when you take a step back and you play selflessly, I’m satisfied. I’m more than satisfied because I know I’m adding and I’m contributing and I’m being a force and I’m being dominant. And I could sleep at night like that.”

In the NFC, the three defensive tackles named to the Pro Bowl were Carter, Leonard Williams of the Seahawks and Quinnen Williams of the Cowboys. Carter has missed five games this season and Quinnen Williams has played just five games in the NFC after getting traded from the Jets to the Cowboys. Pro Bowl voting is 1/3 fan vote, 1/3 coaches and 1/3 players.

The shocking thing is that Davis wasn’t even an alternate. Defensive coordinator Vic Fangio agreed that Davis should have been included.

“He should have, for sure,” Fangio said. “I think they need to perform a committee for the Pro Bowl, get a couple retired coaches, couple retired personnel guys, couple retired players that will take pride in it and they name it, not all. Everybody and their mother’s got a vote.”

Davis, 25, worked really hard to transform his body in the offseason, losing around 30 pounds. All that work has really been paying off in his fourth NFL season.

In 15 games this season, Davis already has 65 tackles, 4 1/2 sacks, 6 QB hits, 9 TFLs and 6 pass breakups. He also blocked a field goal and returned it for a touchdown to win a game against another NFC playoff team.

Does Davis think he’s playing at a Pro Bowl level?

“Apparently not,” said Davis, breaking into laughter with everyone around him. “Nah, I’m just playing. I can’t really say. I guess that’s for other people to decide. That’s not my vote. I definitely think that at some point everybody was like, ‘Ahh, hate that for you.’ But at this point, it’s just like, look, man. On to the next one. We’ll get it next time.”

Davis said he’s more concerned with the upcoming playoffs. The Eagles clinched their playoff spot in Week 16 and will have at least one home game in the postseason. Davis pointed out that not everyone on the Pro Bowl roster is going to be playing meaningful games in January. He will be.

Even though Davis didn’t get this accolade, the Eagles know he was deserving.

“Yeah, he’s definitely playing at that level,” Baun said. “It’s definitely recognized by us, the linebackers, the DBs, everyone in this building. If you talk to him, he doesn’t really care about Pro Bowl or All-Pro. I’m sure he would like to have that honor but he just wants to see the team success.”