Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio did not hold back in his assessment of linebacker Jamin Davis’ play in Week 1’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Del Rio called out Davis for a “so-so performance.”
“Jamin was just OK in the game,” Del Rio said of Davis, per ESPN’s John Keim. “He practiced better throughout the preseason… he has to play better. He didn’t play very well last week. I saw a lot of good things this offseason, so it surprised me he didn’t play better.”
Davis had three tackles in the game. But, his struggles were glaring in pass coverage. Yes, it was a couple of times the design on the play left him in isolation with Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk.
It may not be fair to expect a linebacker to cover a wideout with great success even though Davis does have blazing speed (4.47 40-time). Yet, there were moments Davis got beaten by running backs in space.
In the first quarter, Davis allowed Jaguars running back Travis Etienne to eat ground, blowing by the linebacker towards the end zone. Davis was fortunate that Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence missed the throw badly. That play should have resulted in a Jacksonville touchdown.
Pro Football Focus graded Davis as Washington’s worst defender in Week 1.
“I know what I should have [done] and what I shouldn’t have been doing,” Davis replied when asked about Del Rio’s comments. “Let’s just move on from there.”
Davis had a disappointing rookie season in 2021. The Commanders used a first-round draft pick on the Kentucky product last year. But, Washington playing him out of position at the Mike was an excuse. However, Davis started the 2022 season with the same pattern as last year.
Surprisingly, Del Rio made his thoughts about Davis public.
But, Davis’ progression is imperative for the Commanders to have success this season. Washington doesn’t have much depth behind Davis and Mike linebacker Cole Holcomb. There may not be a viable option waiting behind him. Thus, Del Rio is trying to send a message to the talented but underperforming linebacker.
More must-reads: