Put five former Georgia Bulldog defensive teammates together in the big city, give them huge contracts and let them hang out together and … watch each other’s puppies?
Jordan Davis, Nolan Smith and Nakobe Dean spoke after practice Sunday about how much being together in Philly, along with former teammates Jalen Carter and Kelee Ringo – has helped ease the transition from college football to the NFL.
It's not just a fun story. It's a very real support group for five guys who are 23 and younger.
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The five of them have a chat group – Philly Dog Chat Group – and when they’re not together shopping, watching a game on TV or going out to dinner, they’re texting each other and checking up on each other.
They’ll do anything for each other.
Even watching each others’ puppies.
“It’s like having a group of your best friends,” said Davis, who arrived here with Dean in last year’s draft. “Literally yesterday, I was at a store in Delaware, and I was like, ‘Man, hey, if y’all need a little clothes, if y'all need a little shoes, you need to come out here. Little stuff like that.
Philadelphia Eagles
“Helping them get acclimated is a lot easier than it was for us. If they need something, if they need to come over, just another spot to chill at, if they want somebody to watch their dog, little stuff like that just to make the transition easier.
“Because at the end of the day it’s hard. You’ve got to grow up real quick coming from college to the NFL. I know how it is and I’ve been there.”
The Eagles drafted Davis in the first round and Dean in the third last year and Carter and Smith in the first round and Ringo in the fourth round this year.
Davis, Carter and Dean are projected 2023 starters, Smith will be a key rotational edge rusher and Ringo is a promising young corner.
And three of them have puppies.
“She’s like my daughter, she’s my baby - Izzy,” Davis said. “Nolan’s got a pup, Jalen’s got a pup, I don’t think Kelee has a dog, Nakobe doesn’t have a dog, but me, Jalen and Nolan have pups.”
A bulldog most likely?
“I don’t think I could do a bulldog,” Carter said with a laugh. “It’s like another grown man in the house just walking around eating and sleeping. I don’t know if I could dig it.”
Dogs or not, these Georgia Bulldogs are sticking close together. It’s quite a built-in support group for the 23-year-old Davis; Carter, Smith and Dean, who are 22; and Ringo, who’s just 21.
“Our first off day, we were in there FaceTiming each other and talking about practice,” Smith said. “Nakobe was my best friend in college, now he’s in special teams meetings helping me out, so I’ll say those connections are real, and you could shout out to coach (Kirby) Smart for that because he made that happen at Georgia, so we wouldn’t have a connection piece if it weren’t for him.”
Davis and Dean are still just kids, but since they were here last year they’re the ones showing Smith, Carter and Ringo the ropes.
“Yeah, it helps from a just a standpoint of it’s just different for the new guys,” Dean said. “They need somewhere to eat or they need somewhere to find clothes and everything, you know, me and J.D., we've been here for a year so we know a little bit more.
“So any questions, anything they have, we’re (here). We’re friends, you know? Everybody’s cool. We dogs. We’re on there all day shooting texts back and forth.”
We’ve all heard stories about rookies – talented players – who were so overwhelmed by the adjustment from college to the NFL that they weren’t able to be at their best at practice or even in games.
Having four of your best friends a phone call or a short drive away makes a huge difference.
Georgia was 14-1 in 2021 and beat Alabama to win the national championship with all five of these guys playing key roles and then went 15-1 last year and beat TCU to win another one.
So the Eagles aren’t just getting best friends and outstanding defensive players, they’re getting guys who know how to win and know what it takes to win.
“Luckily, me and Nakobe, we’ve been here (for a year), and it’s recent,” Davis said. “You can listen to Fletch and you can listen to B.G., but times have changed since they were rookies and fortunately it’s fresh for us and I get to give them the experience.
“We do everything together. If we’re not together, we’re always talking to each other, making sure everybody’s straight, making sure everybody made it home safe. It’s just that little security. Because at the end of the day, football’s football, but we care about each other on a deeper level.
“That’s my bro’s. That’s how it really is.”