Marvin Wilson Proves Proves he Can be Part of Committee to Replace Jordan Davis

It's probably unlikely GM Howie Roseman will bring in Ndamukong Suh, and the by-committee approach will have to do while they wait for Davis to return from injury

Much was made of Jalen Hurts’ homecoming in Houston, but the quarterback wasn’t the only Eagles player to return to where he grew up.

Marvin Wilson did as well.

“Great to be back home,” said Wilson, who grew up on the north side of Houston, about 25-30 minutes from the Texans’ home, NRG Stadium. “It meant a lot to me.”

Wilson’s homecoming, in which he said he had a lot of family and friends in attendance, went under the radar since he wasn’t elevated from the practice squad until about 24 hours before the kickoff against the Texans on Thursday night. 

He then went out and played 19 snaps, which felt like a lot for a player making his season debut in Week 9, especially when you consider that Robert Quinn, the pass rusher who cost the Eagles a fourth-round pick in next spring’s draft, got just nine of them.

“I didn’t expect anything,” said Wilson after making four tackles in the Eagles’ 29-17 win over Houston. “Whenever my name was called, I just wanted to be ready.”

He seemed to be, lining up in different spots along the defensive line as defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon uses a by-committee approach to make up for the loss of Jordan Davis.

There may be some thought to signing a stopgap, and the name that's out there is Ndamukong Suh.

Suh is still a free agent, and maybe there’s a reason for that this late in this season.

He is 35 and wants to play for a contender. The Eagles certainly qualify as such.

But, how much work has he put in during his two-month layoff to be in shape to come in and play?

How much does he even have left after 12 years in the league?

The Eagles are rolling the dice on an aging pass rusher in Quinn, and they swung and missed on last-leg veterans in the past, such as Ryan Kerrigan last year and Haloti Ngata in 2018.

The guess here is the Eagles will play on with what they have, but GM Howie Roseman has been known to surprise.

That’s where Wilson comes in.

He isn’t just a nose tackle. At 6-4, 305, he is accustomed to playing all across the D-line.

“I played pretty much everything at Florida State,” said Wilson, an undrafted free agent originally signed by the Browns, before the Eagles added him to the practice squad on Sept. 2, 2021.

“We had three defensive coordinators in my time there, so being able to fill in and play anywhere, I appreciate going through that at Florida State.”

As far as debuts, it wasn’t perfect for Wilson, but it wasn’t terrible, even though Dameon Pierce gashed the run defense for 139 yards.

Wilson was a small part of that effort to try to stop Pierce, an effort that needs to be better, especially with two more physical runners on deck Monday night when the Washington Commanders visit with Brian Robinson and Antonio Gibson.

The Eagles will need to go to work this week on correcting things in the run game no matter what the personnel is.

And it will likely include Wilson, who will probably be elevated again from the practice squad rather than added to the 53, taking some of the nose tackle reps along with Javon Hargrave, who is rolling with five sacks in the last two games.

“I think I did all right,” said Wilson about his game in Houston. “I think I made some plays, but I have to get back to the grind to get better. There’s always room for improvement. …I’m just very thankful that the coaches believed in me to give me this opportunity.”

Ed Kracz is the publisher of SI.com’s Fan Nation Eagles Today and co-host of the Eagles Unfiltered Podcast. Check out the latest Eagles news at www.SI.com/NFL/Eagles or www.eaglesmaven.com and please follow him on Twitter: @kracze.