Remember the grand predictions of the offseason when the so-called experts were saying Washington rookie linebacker Jamin Davis would win the NFL defensive rookie of the year award playing behind the WFT’s outstanding defensive line?
Well, in Week 17 of the regular season, a healthy Davis was only on the field for 13 snaps in a meaningless loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
How did we arrive at this point?
Well, first, we will skip the part about Washington’s outstanding defensive line. Outside of Jonathan Allen, who on Washington’s offensive line has been outstanding in 2021?
Back to Davis. The rookie had played in every game until he missed the Week 16 blowout at Dallas due to experiencing COVID-like symptoms before the game. During his time on the field, Davis has amassed 68 total tackles, including one sack, which he picked up in the Week 17 loss to the Eagles. He was merely in the right place at the right time.
Throughout the season, Washington’s coaching staff has kept Davis on a snap count. In the first four weeks, Washington inexplicably played veteran Jon Bostic ahead of Davis. Yes, Bostic is a smart and reliable veteran, but a massive liability in coverage. After all, didn’t Washington’s coaches tout Davis’ ability in coverage?
In Sunday’s game against the Eagles, veteran David Mayo was the primary linebacker on the field with stalwart Cole Holcomb. It left many fans wondering why a healthy Davis wasn’t beside of Holcomb.
After Sunday’s game, Rivera answered why Mayo was on the field more.
“Well, I thought some of the things that David did last week just kind of showed what he’s capable of and what it also did was it took a little bit of pressure off of Cole,” Rivera said. “David’s a pure mike, so we put David in that role and we were able to use Cole in more of a what we call a dime position – the weak side inside linebacker of a nickel package. Thought that that combination looked pretty good, pretty stout.”
I get it. That makes sense. Holcomb is better playing on the weak side, where can run and chase more, his strength. However, the bigger issue is why couldn’t the team see what Davis could do as the mike linebacker?
Remember, we were told the coaches wanted to play Davis at mike, where he could prove to be a difference-maker for Washington’s defense.
Rivera discussed Davis after he answered the question on Mayo.
Not necessarily. Again, he’s a rookie. I know he is the first-round pick, but he is still a rookie no matter how you look at it. These young guys, they show you what they can do and they’re going to make mistakes, but there’s growth and that’s the most important thing. It’s like [WR] Dyami [Brown]. Probably since Dyami started playing special teams, he’s turned it into a little more confident player. He made a big tackle on the kickoff for us in coverage, he made a big catch. He shows you what he is capable of doing. As these young guys get more and more opportunities, they show you what they can do. There’s promise and that’s the biggest thing for us.
I’m sorry, but that doesn’t make a lot of sense. Shouldn’t Davis be playing to earn that confidence? Shouldn’t Davis make his mistakes on the field, so he can learn from them?
Washington was 6-9 before Week 17. Now is the time to see what your young players bring to the table before the offseason. Washington is finding out what it has in John Bates and Jaret Patterson. Brown has made positive strides in the last two weeks.
But the first-round pick can only play 13 plays for a 6-9 team? A beat-up 6-9 team.
Do the coaches believe they’ve made a mistake with Davis? Certainly, you can understand the apprehension of Washington who’ve been down this road far too many times. The No. 19 overall pick is struggling to see the field for a bad team. That’s not a good sign. Washington fans should be concerned.
What’s even more concerning is Rivera is a former standout NFL linebacker. So, too, is defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio. If they can’t find ways to utilize Davis’s speed and athleticism, that’s a problem.
It’s way too soon to call Davis a bust. At times this season, he’s shown flashes that get you excited in his potential. Those flashes should earn him more time on the field. Yet, here we are heading into the final game and he’s playing around 20% of the defensive snaps.
No matter how you look at that, it’s a problem. And, if it’s not Davis, then Rivera needs to closely examine his defensive coaching staff.