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How a phone call with Jordan Davis persuaded Arnold Ebiketie to join Eagles
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- How a phone call with Jordan Davis persuaded Arnold Ebiketie to join Eagles
How a phone call with Jordan Davis persuaded Arnold Ebiketie to join Eagles originally appeared on NBC Sports Philadelphia
Before officially deciding to join the Eagles in free agency, edge rusher Arnold Ebiketie spoke on the phone with Jordan Davis to get a full breakdown of the defense in Philly.
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Ebiketie liked what he heard.
"He told me the obvious," Ebiketie said on a videoconference call with reporters on Monday. " Philadelphia Eagles defense, they're going to put the work in, they're going to play together, in sync as a defense. They're going to stop the run and have the opportunity to get after the quarterback. That pretty much aligned with what I was looking for, so that's why I decided to come here."
The Falcons initially drafted Ebiketie — who goes by A.K. — in the second round out of Penn State back in 2022. After playing out his four-year rookie contract in Atlanta , Ebiketie became a free agent this offseason.
Ebiketie, 27, said he was open to a one-year or multi-year deal. He really prioritized football fit first and he thinks he found that in Philly.
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"Obviously, it goes without saying, Vic's [Fangio] system," Ebiketie said. "Over the past couple of years we know the Eagles have been notorious for having a great defense. I feel like that's something I always want to be a part of. Just coming out here and learning from those guys and the goal is always to be the best version of yourself that you can possibly be. I felt like it was a great fit for me to come out here."
The Eagles have likely been keeping tabs on Ebiketie during his professional career. They had him at their complex in 2022 for a 30 visit and Ebiketie said he was hoping the Eagles would draft him back then. The Eagles that year selected Davis at No. 13 overall and then drafted Cam Jurgens at No. 51 overall in the second round. Ebiketie was taken by the Falcons in between at No. 38.
Ebiketie called it a "full-circle" moment to end up back in Philly.
It's also a full-circle moment because before playing his 2021 season at Penn State, Ebiketie played for the Temple Owls from 2017-2020. He became an Eagles fan pretty early in his time at Temple.
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"I became an Eagles fan and I can tell you exactly when that happened," Ebiketie said. "I remember 2017, I was a freshman at Temple. And if I'm not mistaken, that was the year the Eagles won the Super Bowl. We all know how this city gets after the Super Bowl here in Philly. I remember being a young kid at Temple walking down from Cecil B. Moore (Avenue) all the way to Broad Street and everything.
"I feel like if I recall, that's exactly when I became an Eagles fan, partially. Just seeing the joy everybody had in the street and everything. It was a pretty special moment for me back then."
Ebiketie's two best seasons in Atlanta came in 2023 and 2024 when he had 6.0 sacks in each. In 2025, the Falcons had yet another new defensive coordinator and drafted two edge rushers in the first round.
So Ebiketie's snap percentage dropped from 49% in 2024 to 35% in 2025. Ebiketie had just 2.0 sacks in 2025 but has a pressure percentage of 16.4%, which would have been second among Eagles' edge rushers in 2025.
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While it wasn't ideal for Ebiketie's role to diminish last season, he said it made him a better player because of how competitive his position room became. In Philadelphia, Ebiketie will join a room that already includes Nolan Smith and Jalyx Hunt and could still potentially still be incomplete.
Last week was a bit hectic. In addition to navigating free agency for the first time in his career, Ebiketie also had a daughter born on Monday. "Unfortunately, she had her own plan," Ebiketie said.
Ebiketie had a plan last week too. It was to end up on a team where he thinks he'd fit. He found that with the Eagles.
"I would say the Eagles are getting somebody that's coming to compete, has a passion for the game," he said. "And I think ultimately, at the end of the day, I want to come out here and learn as well. The end goal is to be the best version of myself. That's who I intend to be. I intend to put the work in for me to be the best version of myself, to be a complete players as much as I possibly can."
