A cornerback for the Chargers is being hailed as one of the league’s best, and his name isn’t Casey Hayward.
Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar sought out the NFL’s 11 best cornerbacks in zone coverage. After some extensive evaluation, CB Michael Davis was among the crop, being named the 11th-best in a zone coverage role.
According to Farrar, Davis allowed 19 receptions on 34 targets for 254 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and a Positive Play Rate of 50% when playing zone coverage.
From Farrar’s breakdown:
The Chargers may go into 2020 with the NFL’s most loaded secondary that’s not based in Foxboro. When you have cornerbacks Casey Hayward and Chris Harris Jr., and safeties Derwin James and Nasir Adderley, that’s a potential nightmare for any enemy quarterback. But the guy who performed best in the Chargers’ league-high zone coverages in 2019 was also the least-known. Davis, an undrafted free agent from BYU who joined the team in 2017, can do everything from taking speed receivers up the chute, to breaking up screens, to deflecting quick slants and drags over the middle. In 2019, Davis allowed 19 receptions on 34 targets for 254 yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and a Positive Play Rate of 50% when playing zone coverage.
Anybody else been watching Michael Davis of the Chargers? Might be the most underrated zone coverage CB in the league. Good news for a team that played zone 75% of the time in 2019.
— Doug Farrar (@NFL_DougFarrar) June 15, 2020
For many, Davis being on the list and Hayward not being among the crop, will be quite surprising. However, Farrar creates his list by logging specific data points, tracking player assignments, and creating deep-dive statistical analyses from it all.
Davis, the undrafted free agent out of BYU, has been overshadowed by premiere defensive backs the past couple of seasons. But he has still managed to play at a high level in 21 starts, notching 89 tackles, 17 passes defensed and two interceptions.
Davis’ play has been scrutinized due to inconsistency in coverage and as a tackler, but Farrar’s breakdown and the coaching staff’s confidence in him in the starting role suggests otherwise.
Los Angeles has the opportunity to boast one of the league’s best defenses in 2020, and Davis will be a critical piece in a secondary that features Hayward, Chris Harris Jr., Desmond King, Derwin James, Nasir Adderley and Rayshawn Jenkins.