A former Commanders’ first-round pick has a new home.
Former Washington linebacker Jamin Davis has a new home. On Tuesday, the 2021 first-round draft pick signed with the Minnesota Vikings’ 53-man roster.
The Commanders released the 25-year-old Davis on Oct. 22, and he signed with the Green Bay Packers practice squad the following week. He remained on Green Bay’s practice squad until signing with Minnesota.
The Commanders moved Davis to defensive end this past offseason after he spent his first three seasons at linebacker. Once Washington signed Frankie Luvu and Bobby Wagner, Davis’ future was in question. The Commanders moved him to defensive end, where he worked exclusively with assistant coach and Washington’s all-time sack leader, Ryan Kerrigan, on rushing the passer. Coaches praised Davis for embracing the change and working hard, but the Commanders ultimately needed the roster spot and had other defensive ends they liked better.
The team announced that Ivan Pace Jr. suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday and is being placed on Injured Reserve.
The Minnesota Vikings defense has been relatively healthy in 2024. On Sunday against the Bears, however, it suffered its first major injury.
The team announced that Ivan Pace Jr. suffered a hamstring injury on Sunday and is being placed on Injured Reserve. He will miss the next four games for the team and in a corresponding move the team removed rookie edge rusher Gabriel Murphy from injured reserve.
While Murphy gives Brian Flores another edge piece, the team is signing a veteran linebacker to replace Pace Jr. on the roster. The team is signing Jamin Davis to the 53-man roster after playing five games for the Washington Commanders in 2024.
Davis has played in 50 career games for the Commanders and totaled 282 tackles and seven sacks in those games. Davis also boasts career PFF grades of 67.5 in run defense, 69.4 in tackling, and 56.9 in pass coverage assignments.
Davis and Murphy are expected to be available to play in Week 13 against the Arizona Cardinals.
Davis, a former first-round pick of the Washington Commanders, signed with the Packers practice squad on Oct. 29. He made no appearances as a practice squad elevation for the Packers.
Players on practice squads can sign with other teams as long as they are signed to the active 53-man roster.
The Packers are currently thin at linebacker while dealing with injuries to Edgerrin Cooper (hamstring) and Isaiah McDuffie (ankle), so it’s possible Davis would have been a candidate for elevation on Thursday night against the Miami Dolphins. But not anymore. Davis was the only linebacker on the team’s practice squad prior to going to Minnesota’s active roster.
The Vikings are losing linebacker Ivan Pace Jr., who is going on injured reserve, necessitating the need for depth at the position. After almost a month in Green Bay, Davis will head to Minnesota to provide help for Brian Flores and the Vikings over the final six weeks of the 2024 season.
The Packers go to Minnesota to play the Vikings in Week 17.
General manager Brian Gutekunst will now have an open practice squad spot to fill at some point this week.
Davis was the 19th overall pick in the 2021 draft. He played in 50 games for the Commanders over four seasons before being released in October. Washington experimented with him as an edge rusher, but the Packers moved him back to off-ball linebacker.
The Washington Commanders released 2021 first-round pick Jamin Davis last week after 3.5 seasons with the team. Formerly a linebacker, the Commanders transitioned Davis to defensive end under the new coaching staff in the offseason. While there had been some progress, the Commanders chose to move on from Davis in search of more experienced help.
Now, Davis has a new home. According to multiple NFL sources, the Green Bay Packers signed the 25-year-old Davis to the practice squad.
#Packers add LB Jamin Davis to the practice squad. Quite the luxury, to have a former first-round pick with 36 starts on your practice squad. Wouldn’t surprise to see him get game action there.
In the previous three seasons, Davis appeared in 45 games with 36 starts, recording 269 tackles, including 20 for loss, seven sacks and one interception.
After moving to defensive end this season, Davis played in five games for Washington and finished with 13 tackles. He participated in 30% of the team’s defensive snaps through five weeks.
New coach Dan Quinn added Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu in the offseason to upgrade the Commanders’ linebacker position, which had struggled for years.
The Packers signed LB Jamin Davis — a first-round pick of the Washington Commanders in 2021 — to the practice squad on Tuesday.
The Green Bay Packers signed linebacker Jamin Davis, a first-round pick of the Washington Commanders in 2021, to the team’s practice squad on Tuesday. The corresponding roster move was releasing linebacker Chris Russell Jr.
Davis, 25, was the 19th overall pick in the 2021 draft. He played in 50 games for the Commanders, producing 282 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 7.0 sacks, six pass breakups, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and one interception. He started 36 games over his first three seasons but was released after five games in 2024.
New Commanders coach Dan Quinn attempted to convert Davis to edge rusher, but the experiment didn’t last long. The Commanders released him on Oct. 22. He cleared waivers and was a free agent.
Davis produced one pressure and seven stops over 86 snaps at defensive end this season.
The Packers announced Davis as a linebacker, suggesting he’s headed back to his original position in Green Bay. He’ll get to work behind athletic linebackers such as Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper while learning a new defense under position coach Anthony Campanile and defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
Davis has played almost 2,300 total snaps on defense but has limited experience on special teams (49 snaps). He produced 82 stops and 21 pressures and missed only 13 tackles between the 2022 and 2023 seasons.
While slightly undersized at 234 pounds, Davis posted elite testing marks in the vertical leap (42″), broad jump (11-0), 40-yard dash (4.48 seconds) and 10-yard split (1.53 seconds). His Relative Athletic Score was 9.93 out of 10.0, making him one of the most athletic linebackers ever and helping fuel his rise up draft boards.
Can the Packers develop Davis — an elite athlete with legitimate NFL experience — into a capable option at linebacker in a new scheme? He’ll get a chance.
Dan Quinn has nothing but good things to say about Jamin Davis.
Think back to when a Washington coach was fed up with a player and finally cut him.
It’s happened more than a few times, and for good reason. Of course, these circumstances do not occur exclusively with Washington. Players sometimes have attitudes, don’t receive coaching well, or don’t accept their role well, and it can lead to trouble.
But not so with Jamin Davis, according to Dan Quinn during his Wednesday press conference. Davis was released Tuesday, and Quinn was asked about it Wednesday.
“We activated Jordan Magee,” Quinn said. “So, just from a roster spot and, man, what a good teammate, Jamin. So, like yesterday, getting a chance to visit with him definitely left a strong impression. And sometimes there’s good that comes after the hard stuff, and he’s somebody that we’ll definitely be watching and pulling for. He really worked hard during his time here.”
It should not be overlooked that Davis went along with the coaches, attempting to learn a new position (DE) in training camp and the preseason. It is not easy to make a transition like that when your college and NFL years have been spent at another position (LB).
Quinn went out of his way to convey that attitude was not the issue with Jamin Davis. Quinn continued that it actually was not an easy decision to release Davis midseason. However, rookie LB Magee has been on IR since getting injured against the Jets in the first weekend of the preseason. So, Quinn is ready to get Magee some game reps and see what he can add to this roster the second half of the season.
“So, at the end, just, it’s always this puzzle you’re trying to put together. And there’s always hard decisions and those are ones that come up. But they’re really hard and this one was hard.”
Jamin Davis this year moved to more of a pass rusher role but to me that adds more value for the #Rams. Would be the best tackling linebacker on the roster, best in coverage and from an athletic standpoint this ain’t even a discussion. pic.twitter.com/DR0YQLAfBh
Will Adam Peters and Quinn bring Davis back to the practice squad, where he can work on developing the skills needed to play defensive end? His final comment concerning Davis did not lead one to that conclusion.
“So, when guys move on from here, I’m hopeful wherever they go, they find the right combination, the right things to allow them to do their thing. So that’s my hope for anybody that goes on from here.”
The Commanders waived former first-round LB Jamin Davis on Tuesday and the Rams can’t pass up the chance to improve at the position
The Washington Commanders announced Tuesday that they have severed ties with 2021 first-round pick Jamin Davis, waiving him after three-plus seasons. Davis has failed to live up to expectations in the nation’s capital and after struggling to impress at linebacker, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn moved Davis to DE this offseason.
The move came after the team signed former Rams LB Bobby Wagner in the offseason. Davis did not adjust well to the switch and is now looking for a fresh start.
While some suitors may be interested in Davis, his play has likely turned many executives off from seeking his services. The Rams should take advantage of this situation as he is a clear upgrade over Troy Reeder and Christian Rozeboom.
While he has some deficiencies in pass coverage, he’s a tacking monster whose development was hampered by the multiple issues that sprung up during the tenure of Ron Rivera. Then-defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio was using a scheme that was clearly behind the times and as a result, Davis always looked one step late on the play.
Davis has been a victim of mismanagement but he’s always controlled what he could control. He attacks blockers with violent intentions, he brings ball carriers down and he’s a nightmare for QBs when called to blitz.
He reminds me a lot of the Chargers’ Denzel Perryman and for a team with a below-average run defense, Davis could be a much-needed reprieve. With Reeder and Rozeboom struggling, the Rams should pounce on this chance to improve at linebacker.
The Commanders move on from 2021 first-round pick Jamin Davis.
The Washington Commanders made a surprising move on their day off. On Tuesday, the Commanders announced some roster moves, one of which was the release of defensive end/linebacker Jamin Davis.
A first-round pick from Kentucky in 2021, Davis appeared in 45 games with 36 starts through his first three seasons with Washington. He had 269 tackles, including 20 for loss in his first three years, with seven sacks and one interception.
Davis was selected to be Washington’s inside linebacker in 2021, but the team quickly realized he was better suited to play on the outside. Still, throughout his first three seasons, Davis was inconsistent at times.
The Commanders underwent a regime change in the offseason, hiring Dan Quinn as the new head coach. They signed Bobby Wagner and Frankie Luvu in free agency, which brought questions about how the staff viewed Davis. Those questions were answered when Washington moved Davis to defensive end/edge rusher.
While he worked hard and embraced his new role, the transition was a difficult one. Davis played in five games for the Commanders this season, recording 13 tackles and one for loss.
We have made the following roster moves:
— Released DE Jamin Davis
— Signed S Ben Nikkel and WR Michael Strachan to the practice squad
— Released S Sheldrick Redwine from the practice squad
The Commanders had Jamin Davis inactive on Sunday after a productive Week 1.
When the Washington Commanders revealed their list of inactive players ahead of the Week 2 home opener against the New York Giants, it contained a surprise.
Fourth-year linebacker/edge rusher Jamin Davis was a healthy scratch. Davis, transitioning to defensive end/edge rusher from linebacker, played 13 snaps in the Week 1 game at Tampa Bay, making three tackles, including one for loss. Davis was sharp in his limited number of snaps.
Through two games, defensive end Clelin Ferrell has Washington’s only two sacks. None of the Commanders’ other edge rushers have applied consistent pressure on opposing quarterbacks, making head coach Dan Quinn’s decision to sit him in Week 2 even more puzzling.
One day after the Commanders defeated the Giants, Quinn explained why Davis did not play on Sunday.
“We actually put up five defensive tackles,” Quinn said. “We knew we were going to have a pitch count, so to speak on [DT] Johnny Newton. We felt with [Newton], 12-15 reps for his first game, we needed an extra big guy in the rotation for that game. So, it was more by design if Johnny was going to be up, then we were going to add an extra practice squad player up to have five defensive tackles as opposed to five [defensive ends] based on the limited playing time for Johnny. So, that was by design.”
Interestingly, on Saturday, the Commanders elevated veteran defensive end Carlos Watkins from the practice squad. So, essentially, Washington chose Watkins and rookie seventh-round pick Javontae Jean-Baptiste over Davis as the fourth defensive end. The Commanders list Dante Fowler Jr. as a linebacker, but he’s also an edge rusher.
Washington knows Davis is a work in progress, but he also offers athleticism that the others in his position group lack. Why not continue to give him 15-20 pass-rushing snaps per week? It’s not like others in the position group are lighting up the stat sheet.
It will be interesting to see Davis’ usage in future weeks.
Here are four players the Panthers may be interested in scooping up over the next few days:
Carolina Panthers president of football operations and general manager Dan Morgan clearly intends on taking advantage from atop the NFL’s waiver wire.
The team’s 2-15 record from 2023 has awarded them the first crack at each player placed on waivers up through the third week of the regular season. And Morgan, who’s looking to build a fearsome roster, has stated that he’ll be “aggressive” with that positioning.
But what if they’re a little more aggressive, particularly on the trade market over the next few days?
As the league-wide cutdown to initial 53-man rosters continues, players may also depart their teams via trades. If another front office wants to prevent a potential target of theirs from even reaching the waiver wire, they might try to swing a deal—essentially cutting ahead of Carolina.
So if the Panthers want to get ahead of themselves, here are four players Morgan and company could try a trade for:
WR John Metchie III (Houston Texans)
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Even after his solid preseason performance, Metchie has seemed like the odd man out in Houston’s receivers room for quite some time. Not only is he looking up the depth chart at the likes of Stefon Diggs, Nico Collins and Tank Dell, but the 2022 second-round pick has also had to battle for a spot against some solid competition in Robert Woods and Noah Brown.
Carolina’s outlook at the wideout position is brighter than it was a year ago. In fact, head coach Dave Canales said the group was a strength of the roster this summer.
But if the Panthers want to continue to make life easier for second-year quarterback Bryce Young, reuniting him with the No. 1 target from his Heisman Trophy-winning campaign at Alabama should certainly help.
EDGE Azeez Ojulari (New York Giants)
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The Panthers signed former Minnesota Viking D.J. Wonnum to a two-year, $12.5 million deal this spring in hopes of starting him off the edge. But the 26-year-old is still working back from a torn quad, and has remained on the active/physically unable to perform list throughout the summer.
That’s left Carolina’s defense with a hodgepodge of outside ‘backers behind starter Jadeveon Clowney. As of now, the team’s top complements are K’Lavon Chaisson, DJ Johnson and Eku Leota. Yeah.
Ojulari, who has racked up 16.0 sacks in his three NFL seasons, has become somewhat of an extra for the Giants—especially after their acquisition of some dude named Brian Burns. The 24-year-old not only offers promise to a Panthers roster looking to grow, but also a more experienced pass rusher—at least compared to their current options.
LB Jamin Davis (Washington Commanders)
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Davis is a pretty intriguing case. Despite being a productive inside linebacker for the first three years of his pro career, the Commanders and new head coach Dan Quinn have tried the athletic 6-foot-3, 234-pounder on the edge this offseason.
The transition seemed to yield some decent results this preseason—as Davis, per Pro Football Focus, recorded four pressures and a 68.1 pass-rushing grade over 42 attempts. Nonetheless, the 2019 first-round pick is still a cut candidate for the fresh regime.
Perhaps the Panthers may be interested in Davis, either on the outside or in the middle—where they’re currently developing another young and promising Kentucky Wildcat.
CB Caleb Farley (Tennessee Titans)
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Like Carolina’s outside linebacker position, the cornerback spot is without a defined No. 2. The favorite to start alongside Jaycee Horn was free-agent signee Dane Jackson, who is expected to miss a handful of weeks after sustaining a “significant” hamstring injury.
Farley, who has appeared in just 12 games since being selected with the 22nd overall pick in 2021, may benefit from a change of scenery. The Maiden, N.C. native and Virginia tech standout had his fifth-year option declined by the Titans, setting him up for free agency in 2025.
At 6-foot-2 and 197 pounds, Farley fits the mold of what Morgan was used to working with during his days in Seattle.
