Category: Demario Davis

WATCH: Demario Davis gets the Saints ready to take on the Packers

WATCH: Demario Davis gets the Saints ready to take on the Packers

The New Orleans Saints hit the jackpot when they signed Demario Davis as a free agent back in 2018. Not only does he lead the team on the field, but has taken over the role from Drew Brees in delivering the pregame hype speech.

Now, as the team gets ready to take on the Green Bay Packers, Davis prepares them yet again by getting the emotions pumping. This is a big game for the Saints as they try to get off to an illustrious 3-0 start while fending off a Packers team that is coming off of a one-point loss to the Atlanta Falcons. Rookie running back Kendre Miller makes his debut for the Saints and will likely always remember his first pregame Davis speech.

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WATCH: Demario Davis gets his teammates going in Week 2 Saints pregame speech

WATCH: Demario Davis gets his teammates going in Week 2 Saints pregame speech

Leave it to Demario Davis to get his teammates motivated before a big-time game — for him, this is a ritual he enjoys every week. The New Orleans Saints’ Pro Bowl linebacker addressed his team before kickoff with the Carolina Panthers on Monday night to continue a tradition stretching back years.

It’s an emotional game, and Davis is an emotional player. Those around him feed off that energy. He’s been a major part of the team’s success in recent years and few teams can boast someone who matches his play to his pregame talk as well as he does. He and his defense have a lot on their hands while the Saints continue to figure things out offensively.

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WATCH: Demario Davis delivers his first Saints pregame speech of 2023 season

WATCH: Demario Davis delivers his first Saints pregame speech of 2023 season

The New Orleans Saints and Tennessee Titans are kicking off their 2023 regular season at the Caesars Superdome on Sunday, and it’s a new year in a lot of ways — but here’s a familiar sight. Pro Bowl linebacker Demario Davis is still addressing his Saints teammates with a fiery pregame speech in the final minutes before kickoff.

Davis drove home the importance of the moment — how this is what they train for, this is what they prepare for, and this is where they must stand tall or else fall short. Not tomorrow, next week, or in some playoff game months away.

Hey, I’m ready to run through a wall after listening to him. How about you?

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Demario Davis misses second Saints practice with calf injury

Demario Davis missed a second New Orleans Saints training camp practice with a calf injury. Head coach Dennis Allen was positive, but wouldn’t share a recovery timeline:

New Orleans Saints head coach Dennis Allen has been careful to speak positively about the situation, but this might be concerning. Pro Bowl linebacker Demario Davis missed his second training camp practice on Sunday while dealing with a calf injury. When ESPN’s Katherine Terrell asked for an update on Davis’s status, Allen was noncommittal:

“No, I mean he’s got a calf. We’ll monitor him and see how it’s going. I’m not  gonna getting into any timelines but again, it’s not gonna be anything that’s really significant,” Allen said.

Allen previously said that Davis underwent imaging on his injured leg Saturday, but declined to share the results. And as he said, there’s no timeline for Davis’s return to the field. That could mean he’ll be back at practice early this week. Or it could mean he’s being shut down for the preseason. At this stage, we just don’t have much information to work with one way or another. All fans can do is wait and see.

That’s tough considering the state of the linebacker corps. Pete Werner has continued to play well this summer next to Davis, and the Saints have had a couple of younger guys step up in practice — second-year pros D’Marco Jackson and Nephi Sewell, as well as journeyman linebacker Ryan Connelly. But none of them have extensive starting experience in the NFL and the Saints would be asking a lot of them to fill in for the league’s only every-down linebacker.

And options are thin in free agency. Veterans Myles Jack and Zach Cunningham both agreed to terms on one-year deals with the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday, not long after Deion Jones signed with the Carolina Panthers. Former Saints fan-favorite Kwon Alexander recently teamed up with the Pittsburgh Steelers, too, so the free agent market is rapidly dwindling. Hopefully Davis won’t miss much more time, but it would still behoove New Orleans to invest in a stronger insurance policy.

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Demario Davis is the latest Saints standout named to NFL Network’s Top 100 Players list

Demario Davis is the latest New Orleans Saints standout named to NFL Network’s Top 100 Players list, as voted on by the players themselves:

Demario Davis is the latest New Orleans Saints standout named to NFL Network’s list of the Top 100 Players of 2023, as voted on by the players themselves. Davis is the highest-ranked member of the team so far, clocking in at No. 46.

He joins teammates Cameron Jordan (50), Marshon Lattimore (89), and Jamaal Williams (95), but not Alvin Kamara (who just missed the cut).

Davis earned his first-ever Pro Bowl appearance last season after playing all 100% of his team’s defensive snaps — the only linebacker in the entire league to do so. Not bad for someone who also celebrated his 34th birthday this offseason.

You’d be forgiven for expecting regression out of the Saints defense given how many moving pieces they’ve dealt with in recent years, but Davis has remained his constant. his rare combination of football smarts, athletic ability, and leadership skills has made him indispensable for New Orleans, and it’s great to see him receive his due credit on lists like these.

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Here’s what NFL execs, coaches, and scouts think about Saints LB Demario Davis

Here’s what NFL execs, coaches, and scouts think about Saints linebacker Demario Davis after ranking him sixth-best across the league:

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler polled a number of his sources around the NFL to rank the league’s best linebackers going into the 2023 season, and New Orleans Saints star Demario Davis didn’t just make the cut again — he slotted in at the same spot as last year, ranking No. 6 overall. Not bad for the oldest player on the list.

“He’s awesome,” an NFC exec told Fowler. “He seems to be somehow getting better. We hate playing against him.”

Davis received his first career Pro Bowl nod last season at age 34, having been recognized on the Associated Press All-Pro team several years in a row leading up to it. He’s developed into a strong run defender while rushing the quarterback and covering receivers downfield. The NFL’s only every-down linebacker is a critical part of the Saints defense.

“He’s become a better all-around player each year in that (Saints) scheme and how he’s deployed,” added an NFC scout. “You see a lot of similarly gifted athletes struggle at LB, especially when drafted high and are asked to be immediately productive, but he had time to figure it out and his game took off.”

We’ll see how much more gas Davis has left in the tank, but he’s aging well and continuing to play a vital role for New Orleans. He’s a cornerstone in that locker room.

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Saints’ Demario Davis named sixth-best linebacker in the entire NFL

New Orleans Saints captain Demario Davis was named the sixth-best linebacker in the entire NFL by Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar:

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Is there anyone on the New Orleans Saints’ roster who is as good at what he does as Demario Davis? The veteran linebacker has done nothing but make plays in stopping the run, covering receivers downfield, and blitzing the quarterback ever since he first put on a black-and-gold helmet. It’s taken some time, but he’s finally getting some of the respect he deserves after making his first-ever Pro Bowl appearance at age 34.

With the 2023 campaign rapidly approaching, Davis was recognized as the sixth-best linebacker in the league by Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar, who wrote:

“If Davis isn’t the most underrated linebacker in the NFL, he’s on a very short list. He’s been a great player for a long time, but the 2012 third-round pick of the Jets has made the Pro Bowl (2022) and the First-Team All-Pro team (2019) just once each. Davis has combined the required traits for his position at a high level for the last half-decade, and he did that again last season. Davis had a career-high nine sacks, two quarterback hits, seven quarterback hurries, 63 solo tackles, 43 stops, and he allowed 31 catches on 42 targets for 276 yards, 209 yards after the catch, two touchdowns, one interception, four pass breakups, and an opponent passer rating of 96.9.”

We’ve discussed the important role Davis plays in the New Orleans defense before — last year, he was the only linebacker in the NFL to stay on the field for 100% of his team’s defensive snaps. There aren’t many players with his combination of experience, durability, and playmaking ability while bringing the leadership qualities to maintain a top-flight defense with heavy turnover in personnel from one season to the next. The Saints will be counting on Davis again in 2023.

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Demario Davis was the NFL’s only every-down linebacker in 2022

Demario Davis was the NFL’s only every-down linebacker in 2022, playing 100% of the New Orleans Saints’ 1,132 defensive snaps:

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Now this is impressive. There aren’t many true every-down linebackers in the NFL these days, but Demario Davis isn’t just one of them — he’s arguably the only one, per Pro Football Reference and Stathead. Davis was on the field for all 1,132 defensive snaps the New Orleans Saints played in 17 games during the 2022 season.

For context, Davis was the only linebacker to play 100% of his team’s defensive snaps in the last three years. Since Davis arrived in New Orleans in 2018, it’s a feat just three players have achieved: Myles Jack did it with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2018 (playing 1,024 snaps through 16 games) and Jordan Hicks went the distance with the Arizona Cardinals in 2019 (on 1,133 snaps in 16 games).

And Davis is doing it having celebrated his 34th birthday in January. Jack was 23 at the time and Hicks was 27 when he joined the 100% club. His durability has been a real asset for the Saints defense, but we shouldn’t make light of his ability to make plays all over the field. Davis has had at least 100 combined tackles and 10 tackles for loss, 3 or more sacks, and 4 or more passes defensed in each of his five years with New Orleans. The only other linebacker to match that production multiple times in that span is Roquan Smith, who did it twice.

So don’t take Davis for granted. He’s one of the best linebackers in the NFL, and the Saints are very, very fortunate to have him captaining their defense. He deserves all the accolades that have come his way after arriving in New Orleans.

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Controversial officiating call costs Demario Davis a win at Pro Bowl dodgeball game

WATCH: A controversial officiating call costs Demario Davis a win at Thursday night’s Pro Bowl dodgeball game

The New Orleans Saints just can’t escape last-minute officiating gaffes. Linebacker Demario Davis earned his first-ever trip to the Pro Bowl Games this season, and he was put in a big spot during one of the event’s first highlights: the NFC Dodgeball game, in which Davis made the final throw.

He beamed New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley in the head with a dart that would have won the game for the NFC defense — it’s a miracle Barkley’s bucket hat didn’t go sailing away. But the referees said Davis illegally hit Barkley in the face, which led to his disqualification and instead a win for the NFC offense.

But it made for terrific content, with an instant reaction from the crowd and Davis’s teammate Cameron Jordan cheering him on after what they thought was the game-winning throw. Ah well. They’ll have other opportunities to shine in upcoming events like the flag football game on Sunday.

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Demario Davis earns his fourth consecutive AP All-Pro team appearance

Demario Davis earned his fourth consecutive honor from the Associated Press, who named him a second team All-Pro for the third year in a row:

Bang: there’s some well-deserved recognition for Demario Davis from the Associated Press, who selected the New Orleans Saints linebacker as a member of the 2022 All-Pro second team on Friday. It’s the third year in a row for Davis to make the second team, and this is his fourth consecutive All-Pro honor after making the first team in 2019. He was also finally recognized as a Pro Bowler for the first time in his career this season.

Davis was the only Saints player to be on the field for all 1,132 defensive snaps in 2022 (though safety Tyrann Mathieu came close with 1,129 snaps), finishing the year with a team-leading 109 combined tackles (54 solo, 10 tackles for loss). He was also credited with 6.5 sacks and 8 quarterback hits, plus a fumble recovery, an interception, and 6 passes defensed. Not bad for someone who just celebrated his 34th birthday, having reached an age where many players begin to call it quits.

However, Davis was also the only Saints player to be recognized as an All-Pro in 2022, which goes to show how big of a step back New Orleans took this year. The Saints have had multiple All-Pro honorees every year since the 2017 season, so they’ll need to turn things around in a big way this summer to get back on top of things for 2023. Finding better ways to maximize talents like Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave would be a good start.

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