Wonder what Ron Rivera’s reaction was to Tuesday afternoon’s breaking Commanders news?
The Commanders (5-2) had just released four-year veteran linebacker/defensive end Jamin Davis. In April 2021, Rivera, the Washington GM/head coach, surprised all who closely followed the team when he reached on the Kentucky linebacker.
Rivera then doubled down, declaring Davis the highest-rated available player on Washington’s draft board. We shook our heads at that statement, but we all certainly hoped Rivera was right and that Davis would play up to his being selected 19th overall.
Davis’s release by Adam Peters and Dan Quinn on Tuesday speaks volumes. Just last week, rookie DE Javontae Jean-Baptiste was injured and placed on injured reserve, meaning he will miss at least four weeks.
The Commanders released Davis anyway. To do so at this time indicates that the Commanders’ defensive staff simply didn’t even believe they had a need for Davis, though they are without Jean-Baptiste.
Last week, they signed DT Sheldon Day to the active roster from the practice squad, responding to DT Jonathan Allen’s loss for the season with a torn pectoral muscle.
In addition, the Commanders signed DE Jalyn Holmes last week, who had just been released by the Jets after appearing in their first six games this season. Though no longer needed by the Jets, the Commanders have chosen to go with Holmes over Davis. Also, DE Efe Obada has returned from injured reserve and is on the active roster.
If another NFL team does not claim Davis, then he could conceivably return to the Commanders’ practice squad.
Davis’s release can’t help but remind us of how woeful Ron Rivera’s drafting was during his four seasons in Washington. His four first-round choices (Chase Young (2020), Davis (2021), Jahan Dotson (2022), and Emmanuel Forbes 2023) have all massively underperformed, and only Forbes remains with the team—and he doesn’t even start for the Commanders.