4 Commanders players who must stand out at mandatory minicamp

1. Jamin Davis

To say 2022 will be big for Jamin Davis’ future in Washington would be an understatement. The No. 19 overall pick in last year’s draft didn’t have much of an impact as a rookie and was vastly outperformed by second-round linebackers Nick Bolton (Chiefs) and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (Browns).

There’s reason to be optimistic about Davis’ sophomore year, as he was transitioned to an off-ball role near the end of last season and looked markedly more comfortable there than as the MIKE linebacker in the middle of the defense.

A strong minicamp would do wonders for Davis’ confidence. It’d also help the coaching staff determine what level of linebacker they should pursue to bolster the rotation, assuming they plan on doing so before training camp.

It’s tough to say whether Davis performed well at OTAs, but it seems noteworthy he rotated regularly with David Mayo, who worked a lot with the first-team defense. It’s worth noting Davis got plenty of reps alongside Cole Holcomb and the rest of the expected starters, but minicamp presents the Kentucky product with a golden opportunity to separate himself from the 28-year-old journeyman.

Honorable mentions: Antonio Gandy-Golden, Cole Turner, Jaret Patterson, Christian Holmes, Khaleke Hudson and Tyler Clark