Washington Commanders 3 potential Week 1 breakout performances
By Hunter Noll
Washington Commanders Week 1 Breakout Candidate Number Three: Jamin Davis (LB)
The Washington Commanders used their first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft on linebacker Jamin Davis. His physical tools made him an intriguing prospect. However, if we’re being honest, he looked lost for most of the 2021 season.
Davis did put together some of his best performances at the end of the season. It wasn’t enough to shed the “bust” label that fell upon him at that point though. The great thing about labels though, is they can always be changed. Calling curtains on someone after one year of their career is ill-advised at best.
Davis has a chance to flip the script and change the narrative on him this season. And we’ve heard a lot of good things about him so far. Based on the camp reports, he looked to be in great shape and was really impressing coaches and teammates. Instead of looking lost, he seemed to understand all the assignments and was taking command.
Davis has all the tools to be great. He is extremely athletic, especially for the linebacker position. And he seemed to find something at the end of last season. Now he’s taken massive strides in camp. Meanwhile, that switch to outside linebacker could be huge. It means he’s not dealing with as much defensively. He gets to go out there and just “play” a little more, which could be great for him.
Davis isn’t the new first-round pick anymore. Some people have already (unwisely) written him off after one bad season. The combination of less pressure, a more comfortable spot, and clear improvements in the fundamentals category could lead to big things.
Davis starts things off in Week 1 with a couple of good plays against the run, and a sack.