Tag: Jarrad Davis

The Lions bring back LB Jarrad Davis

The Lions bring back LB Jarrad Davis as a free agent

The Detroit Lions have brought back a free agent who needs no introduction to fans. Linebacker Jarrad Davis is back in Detroit after signing with the team on Friday.

Terms of the deal were not immediately reported, other than it’s a one-year deal for Davis. Detroit’s first-round pick in the 2017 NFL draft under former GM Bob Quinn, Davis played four years for the Lions before leaving as a free agent in 2021 to play for the New York Jets.

As was the case with much of his Lions career, Davis battled injuries in his one season in New York. He played in just nine games for the Jets, starting five. Davis, 27, logged 25 total tackles in those games.

Much of the defensive personnel from Davis’ first tenure with the team is now gone, and the scheme has changed as well. The hope is the new feel to the rebuilding Lions will help Davis perform better in his second tour of Detroit duty.

Denzel Mims among 6 Jets who need to step it up in final 4 games

These six Jets players need to do all they can to make a positive impression in the team’s final four regular season games.

The Jets are stuck in the AFC East basement with a 3-10 record, but it is crunch time for certain players on the roster.

The final four games of 2021 could go a long way in determining which players are retained for the second year of the Robert Saleh era. New York would like to see a player such as Zach Wilson play better to end the season, but he’ll be back next season no matter what. The same cannot be said for a handful of notable players who require strong finishes if they even want to be considered a part of the franchise’s future.

Here are six Jets who need to step it up in Gang Green’s final four games. If they don’t, their time in the Big Apple could be over before they know it.

Jets LB Quincy Williams deserves to be full-time starter

Quincy Williams has proven to be one of the more reliable linebackers on the Jets this season.

Quincy Williams proved in Week 11 that he deserves to be a full-time starter after posting a team-high, game-high and career-high 15 combined tackles.

The Jets linebacker’s top skillset has always been his sideline-to-sideline speed, and he showed it off against the Dolphins. Williams reached a top speed of 18 mph, according to NextGen Stats, and covered 939 total yards while running 468 yards.

“One of his superpowers is speed,” Robert Saleh said Friday. “He’s one of the faster linebackers in football if you look at his GPS numbers.”

That speed helped Williams excel in the Jets’ nickel defense with only two linebackers on the field last weekend. He played 92 percent of his 63 snaps in this scheme, tallying 14 stops and nine solo tackles.

Week 11 wasn’t an outlier, either. Williams tallied 12 combined tackles with 10 solo stops during the Jets’ Week 4 win over the Titans. On the season, Williams ranks first on the team in tackles for a loss (7) and second behind C.J. Mosley in combined tackles (54). He’s also recorded one sack.

Wiliams has played well in coverage, too. He’s allowed a 61.3 completion percentage when targeted and just 19 receptions, 140 yards and no touchdowns. Those marks are top-five on the team. Williams also allows just a three-yard average depth of target and a 72 quarterback rating when targeted.

The Jets don’t have much clarity at the linebacker spot behind Mosley, who’s struggled in his own right. Free agent acquisition Jarrad Davis looks like a poor signing, Blake Cashman is injury-prone, and rookies Jamien Sherwood and Hamsah Nasirildeen have missed time as well.

Williams, however, looks like New York’s second-best player at the position. The younger brother of Jets star Quinnen Williams, Quincy admitted to playing with a chip on his shoulder as soon as he entered the league with Jacksonville in 2019. A few years later, he’s playing like a deserving starter.

“He’s gotten a lot better since the first day he arrived here,” Saleh said of the post-training camp pickup. “It’s just a matter of continuing to stack up good days.”

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Robert Saleh explains Jets’ lineup changes vs. Dolphins

Robert Saleh explained why the Jets made a pair of tweaks to their starting lineup against the Dolphins.

The Jets shook things up on both sides of the ball against the Dolphins.

In addition to Joe Flacco starting, New York inserted the recently-acquired Laurent Duvernay-Tardif at right guard in place of the struggling Greg Van Roten. Meanwhile, Jarrad Davis took a back seat in the linebacker rotation in his fourth game back from an ankle injury.

Robert Saleh went into detail on the two lineup changes after New York’s 24-17 loss to Miami, explaining his search for production on the offensive line and managing Davis as he tries to find his footing after missing an extended period of time.

“LDT, just giving him a chance to go out there,” Saleh said. “GVR, he’s been playing his butt off. It was just a chance for us to get LDT in there and see if we can get some more production out of that right guard spot.

“As far as Jarrad, he’s not all the way back yet. He’s not. It’s as simple as scaling back his reps. Let him get healthy, get his legs underneath him and give himself a chance.”

Duvernay-Tardiff fared well in his first start with the Jets, helping Michael Carter average seven yards per carry before he was forced out of the game with an ankle injury. Tevin Coleman rushed for just 16 yards after Carter went down, but Duvernay-Tardiff did his part on the interior.

Quincy Williams stepped up yet again with Davis on a pitch count, totaling a career-high 15 tackles and two tackles for loss for his second double-digit tackle performance of the season.

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Zach Wilson avoids IR as Jets make 5 roster moves

The Jets opted against placing QB Zach Wilson on injured reserve while making a handful of other moves.

The Jets made five roster moves ahead of Sunday’s showdown with the Bengals, but it’s the move they didn’t make that stands out.

New York opted against placing QB Zach Wilson on injured reserve. The team believes the rookie could recover from his PCL sprain in time to face the Bills in Week 10, per The Athletic’s Connor Hughes.

In other news under center, Josh Johnson was elevated from the practice squad. He will backup Mike White on Sunday with Joe Flacco inactive. DE Jabari Zuniga was also elevated.

The Jets made a pair of decisions at linebacker, activating Jarrad Davis and signing Noah Dawkins to the active roster. Davis will make his Jets debut Sunday after suffering an ankle injury over the summer.

Finally, New York released S Jarrod Wilson.

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Injured Jets WR Corey Davis ‘not looking good’ for Week 8

Corey Davis, the Jets’ top receiver, injured his hip in practice. Robert Saleh doesn’t think he’ll play against the Bengals.

The Jets could be without their top receiver against the Bengals.

Corey Davis injured his hip during Thursday’s practice and his availability for Week 8 is “not looking good,” according to Robert Saleh. Saleh called the injury day-to-day.

“We’re still holding on for hope [that he can play],” Saleh added Friday, “but it’s trending in that direction.”

Davis leads the Jets in targets, receptions, receiving yards and touchdowns after signing with the team over the offseason. His absence would give the Jets’ younger receivers a great opportunity against the Bengals. Saleh specifically called out Denzel Mims as someone who could fill Davis’ role on the outside, with Elijah Moore sprinkled in underneath.

Three other Jets were ruled out with injuries for Week 8: Running back Tevin Coleman (hamstring), fullback Trevon Wesco (knee) and edge rusher Bryce Huff (back). Quarterback Joe Flacco, who the Jets traded for earlier this week, will also be inactive. That means Josh Johnson will be Mike White’s backup.

Zach Wilson remains out with a PCL sprain, but Saleh wouldn’t say if the rookie will land on short-term injured reserve.

“He’s been improving, he’s been walking around the building,” Saleh said of Wilson. “He’s in great spirits. He’s been doing everything he needs to do as a professional. We’ll finish today and tomorrow and from there we’ll be able to make decisions.”

Three linebackers could return from injury this week to strengthen the middle of the defense. C.J. Mosley expects to play after missing Week 7 with a hamstring injury, while Quincy Williams will return from concussion protocol. Jarrad Davis will be active after missing the first seven weeks of the season with an ankle injury.

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Noah Dawkins’ chances of making Jets’ roster skyrocket after Jarrad Davis injury

Noah Dawkins has put himself in a position to break camp with the Jets following Jarrad Davis’ ankle injury.

Noah Dawkins arrived at One Jets Drive in late July as a holdover from the Adam Gase era.

The linebacker played in just five games with New York last season and made little impact. With a new defensive regime in place, Dawkins’ chances of staying with the Jets seemed non-existent.

But Dawkins has impressed his new coaches this summer, and the ankle injury suffered by Jarrad Davis in Saturday’s preseason win over the Packers has created an opportunity.

After working with the backups in New York’s preseason opener, Dawkins saw an extended run with Jeff Ulbrich’s first-team defense against the Packers. That was before Davis went down; the Jets likely wanted a more thorough evaluation of the 24-year-old Dawkins. The Jets are now suddenly in need of linebacker depth and Dawkins profiles as a natural fit to fill the void.

“I think Dawk’s done a really nice job,” Robert Saleh said after New York’s win over the Packers. “He’s had a 180 since OTAs. He’s been extremely detailed. He’s been getting extra meeting time. He’s been more consistent with his responsibility and when he’s on it and his eyes are right and his feet are in the ground, the kid can flat out fly — especially with our defense where we’re asking guys to shrink the field and suffocate an offense.”

Dawkins has just one tackle in 15 career NFL games, but as Saleh said, his skill set is an obvious fit in New York’s new defensive scheme. Dawkins ran an official 4.41 40-yard dash with a tweaked hamstring before the 2019 NFL draft. He has showcased his ability to make plays from sideline to sideline this summer.

The Jets aren’t asking Dawkins to step into Davis’ starting spot. That responsibility will likely fall on the shoulders of rookie Jamien Sherwood. All New York needs is for Dawkins to be a reliable rotation piece, which is a role he has already proven he can play.

“Sherwood’s been doing a really nice job, so we’re expecting him to slide in and pick up where Jarrad left off,” Saleh said Monday. “He’s been having a really nice camp and it’s an opportunity for him to step up and take on a bigger role. With regard to that linebacker group, we’re really excited about that unit.”

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New York Jets lose former Gator Jarrad Davis until Week 6

Jarrad Davis will have to wait for his new start in New York. An ankle injury has him out for the beginning of the season.

Former Gators and current New York Jets linebacker Jarrad Davis will miss at least two months with an ankle injury.

While not much is known about the injury, Jets coach Robert Saleh indicated it was not a high ankle sprain. The expectation is for Davis to return after Week 6, which is New York’s bye week.

Coming off of four up-and-down years with the Lions, Davis was gearing up for a contract year with the Jets. It appears he’ll begin the season on injured reserve once the 53-man roster is set and can officially return after three weeks. That leaves the Jets in a tough spot with only C.J. Mosley proven as a middle linebacker on the team.

Davis went down initially in the second quarter of Saturday’s game against the Packers. He walked to the medical tent but was carted out and off the field moments later.

Davis started for all 11 games he played in for Detroit in 2019, but he started just four in 2020 over 14 games played. Following this injury, Davis will need to prove he can stay on the field in addition to the pressures of a contract year.

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Jets LB Jarrad Davis to miss several weeks, Jamien Sherwood to start

The Jets won’t have LB Jarrad Davis for the first five games of the season. Robert Saleh expects rookie Jamien Sherwood to start.

The Jets lost another starting defensive player, but only for a portion of the season.

Strongside linebacker Jarrad Davis won’t return to the team until around Week 6, Robert Saleh said Monday. Davis suffered an ankle injury in the Jets’ preseason win over the Packers on Saturday. Saleh wouldn’t say if Davis was a candidate for injured reserve and added that he doesn’t think it was a high ankle sprain.

Davis was carted off the field in the first half of the Packers game and didn’t return. Though the initial prognosis was “promising,” Davis is still expected to miss the Jets’ first five games of the season. The hope is that he returns after the team’s Week 6 bye and plays against the Patriots in Week 7.

The Jets signed Davis to a one-year, $5.5 million contract over the offseason. His injury follows Carl Lawson’s season-ending ruptured Achilles. Davis and Lawson were two of the Jets’ most notable defensive free agent signings.

Saleh said that rookie Jamien Sherwood — not Blake Cashman — is expected to start in Davis’ place. The Jets drafted Sherwood in the fifth round out of Auburn this spring and converted him from safety to linebacker. He and Hamsah Nasirildeen will round out the Jets’ starting linebacker corps with C.J. Mosley manning the middle of the defense.

Other Jets injuries from the Packers game include tackle Conor McDermott, who isn’t expected to return until after the season starts. He was carted off the field with a knee injury. Defensive end Ronald Blair (hamstring) and quarterback Mike White (ribs) are considered day-to-day.

Saleh also hopes to have rookies Alijah Vera-Tucker and Elijah Moore ready for Week 1.

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Jets injury report: New York receives encouraging initial prognosis on Jarrad Davis

Jets vs. Packers preseason Week 2 injury report features an encouraging initial prognosis on Jarrad Davis’ ankle injury.

The Jets could not shake the injury bug in their preseason Week 2 matchup, as numerous players departed New York’s win over the Packers early.

Jarrad Davis was carted off the field early in the first half after sustaining an ankle injury. The Jets received encouraging news on Davis’ status postgame, though, as Robert Saleh said his initial prognosis is “promising.” The 26-year-old is undergoing further testing to determine the severity of the injury.

Conor McDermott was also carted off in the first half with a knee injury, but Saleh did not offer any clarification on his status postgame. Ronald Blair, who made his first appearance since 2019 against Green Bay, suffered a hamstring injury, while Corey Ballentine injured his knee. Ballentine provided one of the Jets’ most explosive plays of the game before departing, delivering a 73-yard kick return.

Of the Jets who did not suit up for the team’s preseason Week 2 action, Bless Austin and Morgan Moses both sat out due to personal reasons.