An NFL Coach Just Picked Jordan Davis Over Jalen Carter. That’s a Big Deal.

Jalen Carter is the flashier name. He’s the one who gets the highlight reels, the double teams, the generational-talent label. But after the 2025 season, a surprising number of NFL voters think his teammate Jordan Davis was actually the better player.

ESPN just dropped its annual defensive tackle rankings, and the results turned a few heads in Philadelphia. Jeremy Fowler polled over 70 scouts, coaches and executives around the league. Among the top 10, both Eagles defensive tackles made the cut. No surprise there. The shocker? Multiple voters ranked Davis ahead of Carter.

Davis got respect Carter didn’t

Davis landed at No. 10. Carter came in at No. 3. Fine, that seems right on paper. But Fowler reported that some voters even gave Davis a fifth-place vote, and one veteran NFL defensive coach was blunt: “Carter is the better talent, but Davis had the better season.”

That line matters. Carter is the flashy young star, the guy who was supposed to wreck the league. But Davis, a 336-pound nose tackle, quietly became a problem for interior offensive linemen all season. Multiple evaluators told ESPN that Davis dominated in 2025. That’s not a knock on Carter. It’s just a reality check.

The Eagles already picked Davis

Philadelphia’s front office might have already signaled who they value more. Both players were eligible for extensions this offseason. Davis got a three-year, $78 million deal. That’s nose tackle money. Carter is still stuck in contract limbo, negotiating his own extension with no deal done yet.

Does that mean the Eagles believe Davis is the better long-term piece? Not necessarily. But it’s hard to ignore the cash. Davis got paid. Carter didn’t. Not yet, anyway.

Both guys are under contract for 2026, so the Eagles have time. They’ve got one of the best interior duos in the league, maybe the best. But the fact that some NFL insiders now see Davis as the more impactful player — even for just one season — is a story worth watching.

Training camp opens July 28. That’s when we’ll start seeing who shows up ready to prove something.