Commanders LB Jamin Davis has plea deal for reckless driving rejected in court

Washington Commanders linebacker Jamin Davis was not at practice Monday. Instead, Davis was at a Loudon County (Va) court appealing a reckless driving conviction.

Davis faced a punishment of up to 12 months in jail and a $2,500 fine. The 2021 first-round draft pick reached a plea agreement for no more than eight days of active incarceration. But the deal was rejected by Judge Stephen E. Sincage of the 20th Judicial Circuit, per Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post. Davis, instead, will return to court Thursday for a conference following the rejected plea agreement.

Davis was cited going 114 miles per hour in a 45 mph zone on Loudoun County Parkway in March of 2022. ESPN’s John Keim adds that Davis was charged with reckless driving a little more than two months before his latest charge, driving 84 mph in a 65 mph zone.

“He’s going through the legal process. We have to be supportive of him,” Commanders head coach Ron Rivera said, per John Keim.

Washington drafted Davis out of Kentucky. As a rookie, he struggled as the Mike linebacker. He posted 76 tackles and one sack in 16 games. He was subpar in pass coverage. Opposing quarterbacks had a 107.1 QB rating against Davis, completing 36-of-42 passes for 328 yards, including 202 yards after catches.

Last season, Davis moved to the outside. His play vastly improved. He had 104 tackles with 3.0 sacks. His pass coverage was better. He allowed 33 receptions on 52 pass attempts.

Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio praised Davis in June about his play in 2022 in comparison to his rookie year, “We had more splash plays and less ‘What the heck are you doing?'”

Still, there is room for him to grow. The legal process he’s dealing with will hopefully be a minor hurdle. He entered the offseason program coming off a procedure to clean up an issue with his knee.