Former first-round pick seeks New York comeback story with Jets

Washington D.C.’s resident professional football franchise had never been lower in the Super Bowl era.

In 2019, the then-Redskins went 3-13 and were outscored by an NFC-worst 169 points. It was the organization’s worst scoring margin since 1961, when they were still playing at the now-defunct District of Columbia Stadium on East Capitol Street.

A total revamp was necessary after stooping to such lowly depths. Along with a new name (or lack thereof) came a new head coach: Ron Rivera.

The former Panthers head coach sparked a promising turnaround in 2020. He led the Football Team to a four-win improvement and boosted their historically inept point differential all the way up to a +6. Washington won the NFC East and lost by one score to the eventual Super Bowl champion Buccaneers.

Things were on the up and up in the (outskirts of the) nation’s capital. To build off Washington’s improved season, Rivera chose to double down on his establishment of a defensive identity. After using the second overall pick of the 2020 draft on Chase Young, Rivera selected another defensive player with the 19th overall pick of the 2021 draft: Jamin Davis.

A high-ceiling player who has yet to put it all together

The Kentucky product was a world-class athlete who offered the promise to become one of the game’s premier cover linebackers. In his college career at Kentucky, Davis allowed a paltry 55.8 passer rating on throws into his direction, yielding just one touchdown to five interceptions. He was coming off a career-best three interceptions in his junior year.

Davis lit up his pro day, cementing his status as a high-ceiling linebacker prospect. He posted a 4.48 in the forty (98th percentile among linebackers), a 42-inch vertical jump (99th percentile), and a 132-inch broad jump (99th percentile), culminating in a Relative Athletic Score of 9.97.

Unfortunately for Davis, he struggled to fulfill his potential at the NFL level, especially in coverage.

Washington gave Davis every opportunity to flourish. After starting his career as a situational player, Davis was elevated to a starting role in his second and third seasons, starting 28 of his 29 appearances over that span.

However, by the end of his third year, Davis had allowed a career passer rating of 107.4 on throws into his direction. He yielded five touchdowns compared to just one interception.

This led Washington to try and salvage Davis’ career by converting him to a defensive end in 2024. He was one of the smallest defensive ends in the sport at 234 pounds, but the Commanders hoped that he could use his elite athleticism to make an impact as a speed rusher off the edge.

Davis played five games for Washington at defensive end, but the experiment was going poorly, as Davis recorded just one pressure on 37 pass-rush snaps. His tenure in Washington came to an end in October. After a brief stint on Green Bay’s practice squad, Davis caught on with the Vikings, where he sparingly played in three games.

Minnesota waived Davis in December, marking his third release of the year. The Jets claimed him off waivers, and a few months later, he re-signed on a one-year deal.

Fast forward to August 13, and Davis is on track to start for New York – back at his original position.

While the Jets’ starting linebacker duo is set in stone with Jamien Sherwood and Quincy Williams, their third linebacker spot has been up for grabs throughout the summer. That player will be a starter in the Jets’ base defense, and play an important rotational role throughout the course of a game.

Much of the competition is comprised of young, unproven players, such as 2023 Jets sixth-round pick Zaire Barnes, rookie fifth-round pick Francisco Mauigoa, and former 49ers undrafted free agent Marcelino McCrary-Ball. With no proven options in place, the door has been left wide-open for Davis to forge a resurgence at his original position – and he has taken full advantage.

In the Jets’ preseason opener against Green Bay, it was Davis who started alongside Williams and Sherwood as the strong-side linebacker in New York’s base 4-3 defense.

Staying in slightly longer than the rest of the starting defense, Davis enjoyed a productive outing, logging a sack and a run stuff for no gain on just 12 defensive snaps. He did not miss any tackles and was not targeted in coverage.

Meanwhile, Davis’ competitors failed to gain ground. McCrary-Ball was chewed out by Aaron Glenn for a foolish late-hit penalty. Mauigoa missed a tackle and allowed a 17-yard reception. Barnes had three tackles without any whiffs, although he allowed a 17-yard catch of his own.

Can Davis become one of the Jets’ top reclamation projects?

The NFL’s best coaching staffs excel at turning other teams’ cast-offs into surprising standouts. New York’s previous coaching staff largely failed to do that, although they did have a few success stories, including one of Davis’ teammates in the linebacker room, Quincy Williams.

Davis is hoping to forge a similar late-career breakout to his fellow uber-athletic linebacker. He is still just 26 years old, one year ahead of Williams when he arrived to the Jets in 2021.

Glenn and the Jets’ coaching staff are looking to flex their muscles in the talent-development department. This offseason, New York completely avoided proven stars on the veteran market, instead focusing on cheaper, less heralded players who are bursting with athleticism and talent but have yet to translate those tools into consistent production.

That archetype is embodied by the man under center, Justin Fields. Across the rest of the roster, players like Brandon Stephens, Stone Smartt, Byron Cowart, and Tyler Johnson are seeking to translate their physical tools and/or small-sample flashes into consistent impact. This even applies to some of the Jets’ draft picks, such as the ultra-fast but drop-prone Arian Smith.

Davis fits that archetype as well as anyone on the roster. But due to his status as a first-round bust, he has not received as much attention as players who come with lower expectations.

The 2021 draft was four years ago, though. Today, Davis is in the same boat as everyone else on this reconstructed Jets roster – just another athletic, talented player looking to reinvent themselves under a burgeoning regime that prioritizes development.

Glenn will be defined by his ability to develop talent from unexpected places. As the summer rolls on, Davis is slowly becoming one of the better bets to emerge as one of Glenn’s most successful player-development stories of 2025.