If we were to list all of the Detroit Lions defensive players who were used in ways that didn’t play best to their attributes, we’d have to shut down our free agency coverage and focus just on that. The Lions were the NFL’s worst team in man coverage last season, so of course, they played a ton of it. One specific player other NFL teams were convinced could be better in a different set of schemes was linebacker Jarrad Davis, who agreed to terms on a one-year, $7 million deal with the Jets on Monday.
I reached out to Jeff Risdon, editor of our sister site Lions Wire, for the inside view of Davis’ attribute and liabilities:
I do think he'll be better away from DET. Let him blitz, let him man cover a TE, give him one thing to do on a play and he's capable. He's a fantastic guy and I hope it works for him. It didn't work for anyone involved in Detroit.
— Jeff Risdon (@JeffRisdon) March 15, 2021
Risdon also told me that Davis is better in man coverage, which… well, the Lions just lost their one guy who’s better in man coverage. In any event, David will have to project well as a run-and-chase linebacker in head coach Robert Saleh’s scheme, and as the 49ers’ defensive coordinator, Saleh had his players running a lot of zone defense. Perhaps Davis will be a specialty blitzer? Either way, $7 million base is a lot to pay for what seems like a strange scheme fit, but perhaps getting away from the Lions is the best thing that can happen to the former first-round pick.
