Linebacker Jarrad Davis is back with the team that drafted him in the first round (No. 21 overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft: the Detroit Lions.
He spent the first four seasons of his career in Detroit, logging a combined 305 tackles, 10.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles and a lone interception.
The University of Florida product started a full season's worth of games just once with the Lions, which came in 2018. During the aforementioned campaign, Davis amassed career-best marks in total tackles (100), tackles for loss (10), sacks (six) and passes defensed (five).
He never built off of that season, however, and on a large scale, never lived up to the billing of a first-round draft pick during his first stint in the Motor City.
And, last offseason, when Dan Campbell and Brad Holmes came into their roles as head coach and general manager, respectively, they decided to move on from Davis, who was a product of the failed Bob Quinn-Matt Patricia regime.
Campbell and Holmes opted to bring in their own players at the position instead, including former New Orleans Saints linebacker Alex Anzalone and Purdue University product Derrick Barnes (a fourth-round pick of the Lions in 2021).
Davis, as a free agent for the first time in his career, proceeded to ink a one-year deal with the N.Y. Jets.
In 2021, Davis, who missed the first six games with a left ankle injury, suited up for just nine games for the Jets (made five starts). The Georgia native recorded 25 combined tackles, and failed to do much of anything else. In fact, he produced zero tackles for loss, zero QB hits and zero sacks.
Davis' career now has come full circle, and he's back with the Lions, on a one-year deal, for the 2022 campaign.
When Campbell first took over as head coach in early 2021, he offered some high praise of Davis, while providing his first impressions of Detroit's roster.
"One of the first things I circled was, man, if we’re running inside zone and we’re running our 42 ace, our lead draw, and you’re leading on No. 40 (Davis), man, you better fricking be ready for him to drop his hat and hit you right under the chin," Campbell told 97.1 The Ticket. “He will literally split your chin open, and knock your hat off. So, look, there’s little things that you circle in there, just on guys that they had."
Based on those comments, I expect Davis to have a defined role this upcoming season. It'll just predominantly be a reserve role.
Davis is now 27 years old. And, after a largely underwhelming start to his pro football career, I expect him to be motivated to prove his worth in Aaron Glenn's defensive scheme.
I'm penciling Davis in for 45-60 total tackles and predicting that he'll be a solid contributor off the bench for Glenn & Co. in '22.
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