Eagles minicamp: How Peloton helped Jordan Davis overcome conditioning obstacles that plagued him last season

PHILADELPHIA — Jordan Davis is just like the rest of us. 

Facing the challenge of looking at himself in the mirror, something had to change. Davis wasn’t pleased with how his body looked — and this is a former first-round pick playing significant snaps on a Super Bowl championship team. 

“I wanted to look sexy,” a smiling Davis said at the NovaCare Complex this week. “I felt like my face was getting a little fat and you know, I wanted to look good.”

Looks aren’t everything, however. There was more to it. 

Davis has constantly battled conditioning issues since arriving in Philadelphia back in 2022. His playing time has been affected and his snap percentage hasn’t been what a franchise expects for a No. 13 pick. The pressure was on Davis to get in shape.

Significant enough that Eagles defensive coordinator Vic Fangio ducked a question asking what took so long for Davis to get into shape.  

“It’s still in the back of my mind sometimes. I’m human,” Davis said. “At the end of the day, harder work and better preparation eliminate those self doubts. As I kinda went through this last year, started learning that a little bit more.

“Just kind of being more present with yourself, understanding myself, understanding who I am as a person, that translates to the X’s and O’s side of football. Doing that self work, that helped out a lot. And that’s something you continue building.”

Knowing he needed to get in better football shape, Davis fell in love with the Peloton in the second half of last season. He tried other ways to better condition his body, but Peloton was the right fit. 

“I felt that was completely necessary for me to reach that next level, reach that next step,” Davis said. “Just putting in a little sweat equity, a little extra things, and when I did that and I was consistent with it, the trajectory for how I was playing, definity took off and I was very proud of myself.”

The snap percentage didn’t actually go up, but Davis’ production did. Fangio and Eagles defensive line coach Clint Hurtt worked with Davis to become a multi-faceted defensive tackle, not just a player that played on first and second downs than was taken off the field. 

Rushing the passer was the next step in Davis’ game, and the work was paying off despite the limited snaps. Davis had three pressures in 13 pass-rushing snaps, with a sack and a 30% pressure rate in the NFC Championship. In Super Bowl LIX, Davis had just one pressure in nine pass-rushing snaps — making it count with a sack.

Two sacks combined in the two biggest games of the season. 

“It’s a new experience,” Davis said. “Pass rush has never been my forefront of things. I’m getting into great shape and working hard and understanding the nuances of pass rushing. Not even just Clint Hurtt, but Nolan Smith has been teaching me things. When it’s just stuff like that, learning stuff from different players and coaches, they want you to be your best at pass rush. They want you. They expect that from you. 

“I definitely think that when the season comes around I understand a little bit more and the more we add to the playbook, the sky’s the limit. I’m excited about the new opportunity that’s presented for me.”

The confidence is there for Davis after the strong finish from last season. Whatever heart-to-heart conversation Davis had with Fangio got through to him. 

“He got better towards those last seven or eight games. He really did,” Fangio said. “You saw it in practice first. A lot of people think you don’t need practice, you do need practice, and he showed it in practice first and then it carried over into the games. 

“I think he realized that, felt it, felt good, and he’s just carried it over all offseason.”

Davis can thank Peloton for his newfound confidence, a program he won’t be abandoning. He’s looking good on and off the field as a result.

“Last year, coming into the offseason — I understood it, but I didn’t practice it,” Davis said. “My word of the year for 2025 was discipline, and discipline is just having a strength to do it, even when you don’t feel like doing it. 

“Knowing that at the ripe age of 25 — I’m the oldest guy in the room. That’s just another thing. I have younger guys looking at me. I have a room to kind of continue on, being great with. 

“It’s just all of those things, just becoming a better pro. I say that a lot, but really understanding what it is.”