Washington Football Team: Three players who’ll have our full attention against Bengals
1. LB Jamin Davis
The 2021 first-round pick for the Football Team, Jamin Davis, comes in first for the most intriguing player to watch against the Bengals here at Riggo’s Rag. The rookie linebacker has spent most of training camp getting his reps as the middle linebacker or the MIKE.
This has caused multiple to be thrown at the linebacker at once. In a position that causes many rookie heads to swim at first, Davis has been in a significant adjustment period.
The adjustment from college linebacker to NFL linebacker brings upon a different approach. There are different keys to watch for. Offenses operate differently.The players are faster and smarter. And most importantly, at the MIKE, Davis is having to call the plays for a defense that he is still learning.
The MIKE should be expected to change back to the veteran Jon Bostic, and Davis will most likely revert to the weak-side linebacker so he does not have as many responsibilities. Going through this learning curve at the MIKE is still a quality experience for Davis, and should get his development track for Year 2, ahead of schedule.
With that said, Davis is one to watch in regards to how he is picking things up. More specifically, if he is doing less thinking and more reacting, which his head coach has noted is something he is doing due to a lack of experience.
Ron Rivera said he can see Jamin Davis overthinking, but believes with added reps, added practice it will start to become second-nature for him so he doesn't play with hesitance.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 13, 2021
Linebackers usually take longer than most positions to fully develop in the NFL but Davis is expected to have a role on the defense in his rookie year. Watching his development, in live-action, will be important to follow.
If he gets ahead of schedule, and possibly can take over as the MIKE earlier than expected, then that will add an additional layer of advantage to an already very talented defense. Having an uber-athletic linebacker behind Washington’s defensive line would be much to the ire of opposing offenses.
In his preseason debut, he looked like a rookie linebacker that was overthinking. In his second game, it will be compelling to watch if he is improving, or if he is still in the early stages of adjusting to the next level.
Did we miss any players and do you have more to add? Leave them in the comments below!
