3 best Commanders' candidates to play Micah Parsons role for Dan Quinn

Commanders could give Jamin Davis a chance

Jamin Davis should get his chance to make a niche role his own. Dan Quinn and new defensive coordinator Joe Whitt Jr. plan to use the 2021 first-round draft pick "more in pass-rush situations this season," according to Ben Standig from The Athletic.

"The plan is to have the athletically gifted Davis become a 'hybrid' defender, which should translate into less pass coverage and more attempts at getting after quarterbacks."

A natural place to start reshaping Davis' game is to get him rushing off the edge more often. He showcased nifty first-step quickness and downhill acceleration on this stunt against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2021, highlighted by film analyst Mark Bullock.

A more recent example cost Davis $21,855, per Standig, but showed his explosion off the edge and closing speed around the corner. The play in question occurred against Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos in Week 2 last season.

Both plays offer exciting glimpses of what Davis might achieve. Provided his remit is streamlined to simply getting after quarterbacks.

That might be the best way to make better use of the 25-year-old's natural range and athleticism. Those qualities were too often wasted or else misused by Quinn and Whitt's predecessors Ron Rivera and Jack Del Rio.

Their reluctance to unleash Davis more often was confusing since No. 52 usually made the most of his limited blitz opportunities. The former first-round pick blitzed only 33 times in 2023, 14 times fewer than during his rookie campaign. Yet, he still managed to record three sacks, generate four pressures, and register a single quarterback hurry.

The raw tools are there for Quinn to turn Davis into a moving, seek-and-destroy quarterback hunter. Beginning with a situational role is smart, but it could mean the Kentucky product gets beaten to the Parsons role by one of the Washington Commanders' top additions in free agency.