Tag: Akeem Davis-Gaither

Bengals re-sign LB Akeem Davis-Gaither

Akeem Davis-Gaither is back in the fold for the Bengals.

The Cincinnati Bengals have re-upped with linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, it’s a one-year deal worth $3 million for Davis-Gaither.

Davis-Gaither, a fourth-round pick by the Bengals in 2020, never played more than a rotational role in the base defense (33 percent of the snaps in 2021) but has been a core special teams member (minimum 61 percent each season).

Even so, he’s a key piece of depth for a defense that likes running two linebacker looks with Germaine Pratt and Logan Wilson and a situational pass defender who has carved out a nice niche.

Davis-Gaither is one of a few linebackers the team figures to bring back as depth this offseason.

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Greg Cosell wants to see Bengals add LB if they lose Germaine Pratt

Some pushback on Akeem Davis-Gaither assuming a bigger role in the defense.

If the Cincinnati Bengals lose linebacker Germaine Pratt to free agency, the team could ask others on the roster to step up in the vacancy instead of adding a high-profile replacement.

But for NFL Films’ Greg Cosell, letting the likes of Akeem Davis-Gaither get a chance to step up could backfire.

“The way they play defense, they need a linebacker opposite (Logan) Wilson,” Cosell said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “Even though he plays in certain packages, I don’t think (Akeem) Davis-Gaither can fill that role. He’s more of an athletic, lighter, almost hybrid safety type. They’d have to find a guy to replace Pratt.”

Coaches at the scouting combine have raved about Davis-Gaither, but it’s a fair concern to have after he’s spent most of his career as expected so far — as a subpackage specialist.

There’s a debate worth having, though, on whether an outside free agent or even a rookie would be able to come in and fill that vacancy better than ADG anyway given the veteran’s experience in Lou Anarumo’s system.

There’s also the matter of Pratt. He’s said he wants to be back, though he continues to make his desires to play more third downs known. It could come down to what the market prices him at, though fans handwaving his loss would be underselling his dramatic improvement over the years.

While the spotlight shines on bigger things, this is one of those debates the Bengals will need to settle internally over the next few weeks and months and indeed, there doesn’t appear to be an easy answer.

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Watch: Akeem Davis-Gaither makes huge playoff INT vs. Ravens

A huge turnover for the Bengals defense.

Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither came up huge on his defense’s first drive of the game during the wild card round of the playoffs against the Baltimore Ravens.

ADG, used sparingly and in certain packages, was on the field early in the first quarter and stepped in front of a Tyler Huntley pass intended for tight end Mark Andrews.

While ADG was ruled down by contact so the return part of the highlight didn’t end up counting, it was a massive moment for a key versatile player on the defense.

It also meant the Bengals offense again took the field and continued to massively control the pace of the game while already clutching a lead.

The highlight:

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Bengals thrilled with Akeem Davis-Gaither’s progress this season

ADG has stepped up big so far this season.

Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither just keeps impressing coaches.

With Germaine Pratt out during Cincinnati’s Week 3 win over the New York Jets, it was Daivs-Gaither who came up huge with a team-high 13 total tackles, nine of those solo and one for a loss.

And in Week 4 on Thursday night, while Davis-Gaither didn’t stuff the stat sheet, coaches such as linebackers coach James Bettcher came away impressed with how he stuck in coverage on speedy wideouts like Jaylen Waddle.

“No way were we putting a linebacker one-on-one on 17 (Waddle) and 10 (Tyreek Hill) in this game,” Bettcher said, according to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “But, when you get matched up in zone coverages underneath defenders, you have to be able to move in the NFL and tackle because of what (offenses) do in space. They put little guys in low zones against guys that have to be able to play… it was a zone coverage where he’s the inside element of the zone coverage.”

This is the big capper and highlight for Davis-Gaither: “He’s a guy that’s just improved every year here played a lot of different positons in college and high school. I’m excited in the direction he’s going.”

A speedy subpackage player with plenty of hype for his upside coming out of college, Davis-Gaither has not just found a nice niche, he’s showing up huge when the team needs big contributions from depth pieces.

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Bengals still excited about upside for Akeem Davis-Gaither

Don’t forget about Akeem Davis-Gaither.

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It’s been a rough road will quite a few speed bumps for Akeem Davis-Gaither. But it’s a road that still has light at the end of tunnel and the Bengals still believe that light is there, perhaps as early as this season.

Davis-Gaither, the Cincinnati Bengals fourth-draft pick out of Appalachian State in 2020, has begun working on adding more versatility to his game.

As noted by Bengals.com writer Geoff Hobson, Davis-Gaither has started adding practice reps in the middle of the defense while Logan Wilson and Germaine Pratt are rehabbing injuries. Keandre Jones has been working with Davis-Gaither.

“He’s a three-down backer and he’s getting better and better,” linebackers coach James Bettcher said. “I know he has the skills to play both. He’s grown up as a coach’s kid and you can feel that with his intelligence and his approach.”

Davis-Gaither is working back from an ACL injury in October, an injury he oddly believes was a “necessary” one.

“I was getting in a good groove and getting more confidence,” he said, via Paul Dehner of The Athletic. “This game is all about confidence. I was starting to really feel like I was getting there. Maybe the injury was necessary for me.

“It just added another chip on my shoulder,” he said. “Now I have to prove myself again. In my career, having a chip on my shoulder is revisited by the injury and staying out so long.”

Davis-Gaither now hopes to use that chip to prove why the Bengals took a chance on him in 2020 and that he can build off of his roles as a core special-teams player and become more of a chess piece on defense. Especially when he was having a very good 2021 season before the injury.

Per Dehner, “on third downs with at least 4 yards to go, Davis-Gaither and Wilson were the pair on the field for 45 of 85 snaps. Germaine Pratt had the next most with 11, according to TruMedia.”

Also from Dehner: “Pro Football Focus had Davis-Gaither improving on a rookie year grade of 40.7 to 60.2. The issue that held him back from a better overall performance was seven missed tackles, for a missed tackle rate of 21.9 percent. He had the third most missed tackles on the team by players with at least 200 snaps and the worst rate among linebackers by a long shot.”

The third year is typically a breakout season for many players. The stars could be aligning for that to happen with Davis-Gaither in his third season.

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Bengals’ Akeem Davis-Gaither will likely miss rest of season after foot surgery

The Bengals will miss a key defender for the rest of the season.

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Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither will miss the rest of the 2021 season due to a foot injury that requires surgery.

Bengals head coach Zac Taylor broke the news on the Monday after the bye, according to The Athletic’s Jay Morrison.

After suffering the injury, word broke that ADG would seek the opinion of a foot specialist. In the interim, the Bengals placed him on injured reserve and claimed a linebacker on waivers. They also hosted two linebackers on tryouts during the bye.

Besides looking outside of the team, the Bengals also might have a sleeper solution already sitting on the practice squad.

A second-year player, ADG was in the middle of a breakout season alongside an uptick in playing time that had him on the field for 61 percent of the defense’s snaps. Cincinnati will miss his coverage ability on a subpackage basis greatly.

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Bengals expect breakout year from LB Akeem Davis-Gaither

Don’t forget about ADG.

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Given all the hype (Joe Burrow) and talking points (Ja’Marr Chase drops, 53-man cutdowns) surrounding the Cincinnati Bengals, it’s a little easy to forget about Akeem Davis-Gaither.

But Bengals coaches haven’t overlooked the second-year linebacker.

When asked to name an underrated player about to have a big season by the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Kelsey Conway, defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo was quick with his answer:

“Akeem Davis-Gaither has had a hell of a camp. I can’t see him not out there performing in some role at some point making plays just because he’s had such a great camp. He’s a tireless worker, he’s really had a great camp.”

ADG, a draft darling of Bengals fans selected in the fourth round in 2020, only got on the field for 30 percent of the defense’s snaps last year, earning a 40.7 PFF grade.

But the speedy linebacker’s upward trend was apparent as the season went on and it’s almost easy to forget he, like all rookies, didn’t have the benefit of a normal pre-draft process or preseason.

Given his immense physical traits that let him excel against the run and pass, ADG could be right there alongside Logan Wilson in importance for the entire defense next season.

And based on Anarumo’s comments, the Bengals seem to expect it.

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Bengals sign rookies Logan Wilson, Akeem Davis-Gaither, Hakeem Adeniji and Markus Bailey

The Cincinnati Bengals signed some of the rookie class Tuesday.

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The Cincinnati Bengals have locked up their rookie linebackers from the 2020 NFL draft, inking Logan Wilson, Akeem Davis-Gaither and Markus Bailey to deals.

The Bengals announced the moves on social media, adding in late-round pick Hakeem Adeniji for good measure.

Rookies inking contracts Tuesday was a predictable outcome after the NFL finished up some of the details surrounding actually getting players to team facilities. Tuesday was the natural report date and for preventative reasons, players arriving will take coronavirus tests and proceed to hit the field later in the week if all goes well.

Of course, we’re still waiting on news about one Joe Burrow, though he figures to put ink to paper as soon as he arrives at Paul Brown Stadium, too.

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Bengals’ Akeem Davis-Gaither has some surprising defensive rookie of the year odds

Can Bengals LB Akeem Davis-Gaither win some hardware as a rookie?

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Akeem Davis-Gaither, NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, has a nice ring to it.

It’s a longshot, of course. But the Appalachian State linebacker and fourth-round pick by the Cincinnati Bengals sports some interesting odds to win the award ahead of his rookie campaign.

Over at BetMGM, Davis-Gaither checks in at about 60-1 odds to pull the award. That’s still well behind the 5-2 odds for Washington Redskins’ No. 2 pick Chase Young, but it’s better than most. It’s also slightly better than Bengals third-round pick Logan Wilson.

Widely considered one of the best Day 3 picks of the draft outright, Davis-Gaither figures to play at least a situational role for the Bengals right out of the gates.

But with Germaine Pratt, Wilson and rookie Markus Bailey looking for work at linebacker, plus guys at safety like Vonn Bell, Davis-Gaither has some work to do before he can break into serious playing time.

That said, Davis-Gaither has shocked more than once already over the course of his career. He’s smaller but wicked-athletic, which could see him putting up some big plays that potentially indeed push him into the conversation for some individual hardware.

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5 things to know about Bengals fourth-round pick Akeem Davis-Gaither

Here are some fast details to know about new Cincinnati Bengals linebacker Akeem Davis-Gaither.

Akeem Davis-Gaither going to the Cincinnati Bengals created a splash at the top of the fourth round.

One of the bigger names at linebacker because of his outstanding athleticism, ADG joins Logan Wilson as two guys heavily remaking that room for the Bengals.

Here is a look at five fun, quick facts about the newest Bengals linebacker.

 

He played through injury

We noted in prior pieces that some of the reasons ADG likely fell were over injury concerns.

But as seen in the note above from ESPN’s Ben Baby, some of that might end up classifying as “overblown” in hindsight. ADG told the Cincinnati media right away that the supposed stress fracture wasn’t something that forced him to the sidelines.

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