New York Jets: Top 3 free agents to re-sign in 2018
2. Demario Davis, LB
At 28 years old and having the best season of his career, Demario Davis is the epitome of a late bloomer. According to Pro Football Focus Elite, he’s 12th in the NFL in pass rush productivity (which factors sacks, QB hits, and hurries), 17th in tackling efficiency (which is attempted tackles per miss), and 10th in coverage snaps per reception and run stop percentage among qualified inside linebackers.
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Davis is the perfect replacement for David Harris, who was jettisoned during the offseason. Say what you will about how they let go of Harris, but replacing him with Davis was the perfect move for this defense.
Even though he will be 29 next season, he deserves a long-term deal. His play early on in his career wasn’t due to lack of effort, but just do to a learning curve that he has proven now that he has caught up to.
There has also be a trickle down effect of Davis on Darron Lee. Lee is actually ahead of Davis in three of the four categories measured by PFF Elite. This could be a dangerous inside linebacker duo for years to come. The Jets just need to do the right thing and sign Davis long-term.