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When the Washington Football Team selected linebacker Jamin Davis in the first round of the 2021 NFL draft, expectations were that the rookie from Kentucky would be a leading candidate for NFL defensive rookie of the year.
After all, Davis would start immediately at linebacker and play behind Washington’s vaunted defensive line full of former first-round picks.
Well, that hasn’t happened. Not even close. Washington’s defensive issues have played a significant part in the team’s 2-5 start. Early in the season, Davis struggled to see the field on anything more than a limited basis.
When veteran linebacker Jon Bostic went down in Week 4, that meant Davis would play more — whether he was ready or not.
He has played more, and in each game, he flashes. Washington coach Ron Rivera told the media on Wednesday Davis has improved throughout the season.
“He’s shown us some very good improvement,” Rivera said, per Ethan Cadeaux of NBC Sports Washington. “You see him really getting more and more comfortable playing with more confidence. It had a lot to do with game planning. We really felt good about some of the things that we were going to do, and it really suited him very well.”
It’s been a good two weeks for Davis. In the loss to the Chiefs in Week 6, he led the team with 11 tackles. In Week 7, he played all but one defensive snap — a career-high.
Early in the season, Davis was overthinking on the field instead of just playing. Recently, he has been flying to the ball more, especially in the run game. He still has issues in coverage, but that’s expected from a rookie linebacker.
Pro Football Focus grades Davis as the No. 106 linebacker in the NFL through seven weeks.
Rivera noted the difference in Davis over the last two weeks.
“We’ve seen some really good things from him that really get us excited as coaches, especially defensive coaches when you watch a guy that now he’s using his full skillset,” Rivera said. “When you see and range from one side to the other, I mean, that’s what we saw on tape coming out of Kentucky. He was the best linebacker coming out of the SEC for a reason, a very productive guy. We’ve seen that in the last two weeks.”
There are several reasons for Washington’s defensive struggles. Linebacker play is among those reasons. But if Davis can continue to improve each week, Washington’s defense should benefit.