Evaluating Jamin Davis’ development at linebacker
Looking forward to the future by evaluating the development of LB Jamin Davis
Linebacker Jamin Davis has unfortunately seen his 2023 season come to an early end after suffering a shoulder injury against the Dolphins. It’s fair to say Davis hasn’t lived up to the expectations placed upon him when he was drafted 19th overall back in 2021, but his third year in the league was a breakout year. As I’ve been looking ahead to potential building blocks for the Commanders going forward, it feels like a good time to review where Davis is at and where he may stand in the Commanders plans in the future.
When Jamin Davis was drafted, the Commanders likely envisioned him developing into this ultra-athletic linebacker that could matchup with athletic tight ends and running backs in coverage, and roam freely behind four first-round defensive lineman in the run game. However, in his rookie year he struggled as he was asked to play the Mike (middle) linebacker role which involves making all the calls and checks at the line of scrimmage. This caused Davis to slow down and think at the snap instead of just reacting and playing fast.
He shifted back to the Will (weak side) linebacker spot in his second year and started to show flashes of the athleticism that saw him drafted so high, but was inconsistent with it. This year we’ve seen him become far more confident and consistent with his play in the run game.
This is exactly the type of play the Commanders probably expected from Davis when they drafted him. The Cardinals call an outside zone run to their left here. The left guard and center are tasked with trying to work a combination block on defensive tackle Jonathan Allen to secure him before one of them then climbs up to reach Davis. However, at the snap of the ball, Allen stunts inside the left guard, messing up the combination block. The guard loses balance, not expecting Allen to stunt inside, which then gives Davis a completely free path to roam.
Davis takes that invitation and shows off his range and athleticism, flying down to the line of scrimmage and out to the edge to meet the running back behind the line of scrimmage. Davis is the first of many defenders to arrive and together they force the back out of bounds at around the line of scrimmage.
Now that’s certainly a nice play from Davis and one that Washington would have love to have seen more of from him in his first two years in the league, but the play was really made by Allen stunting inside and messing up the block of the left guard to keep Davis clean. If Davis is kept clean, running down backs like this should be his bread and butter. But Davis built on plays like this and applied that confidence in other run plays.
On this play, the Eagles look to work a couple of double teams inside on the defensive tackles, driving them back up towards the linebackers. For Davis, he has the left guard and working together to secure defensive tackle Jon Ridgeway and looking to drive him backwards towards Davis, where one of the two blockers can then peel off and pick him up. In his rookie year, Davis would have held his position at the snap and taken far too long to diagnose things, but here he reacts instantly.
As soon as the ball is snapped, Davis is driving down towards the line of scrimmage, reading the play as he goes. He quickly realizes what’s happening as he approaches the line of scrimmage. Had he held his position, he would have enabled the double team to work up to him nice and easily, but instead he attacks his gap with speed. This forces the left guard to peel off the double team earlier than he anticipated, which has two positive effects for Washington. The first is that Ridgeway is no longer caught on a double team and can work to shed his one-on-one. The second is that Davis gets there too quick for the left guard to do anything about. The guard attempts to cut off Davis, but he uses his momentum and physicality to burst through the hole and into the backfield, where he meets the running back head on and makes the tackle.
This was a common occurrence for Davis across the season too.
Here’s another example of Davis reacting to a run instantly and being too quick for the offensive line to do anything about. This time, its the center and right guard looking to work a combination block on the defensive tackle before one peels off to pick up Davis, but as you’ll see as the play progresses, Davis is too quick to be blocked. The center commits to trying to help the right guard secure Daron Payne, but by doing so, Davis is able to burst behind him into the A gap. The center attempts to reach his left arm out to stop him, but Davis runs through the block and instantly tackles the running back in the backfield.
The play speed stands out from Davis, especially when you compare it to his rookie year or even times last year when he had to fill in for Cole Holcomb at the Mike spot. This season he played much more consistently fast, which is obviously important for any defender but especially so for one with the athletic ability that Davis has. What’s perhaps more impressive is the physicality Davis played with this season. Coming out of college, Davis wasn’t particularly physical. He used his athleticism to run around blocks and avoid big offensive lineman instead of engaging in blocks and learning to shed them. It’s taken him some time to get used to engaging in blocks with bigger offensive lineman, but this year he’s done an excellent job at it.
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