Detroit Lions: Predictions for five important free agents

Jarrad Davis

Position: Linebacker
Age: 26
2020 statistics: 14 games, 0.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 46 total tackles
2020 base salary: $1.96 million

The writing seemed to be on the wall for Davis when the Lions declined the former first-round draft pick’s fifth-year option last May. While that could often serve as a major motivating factor for players, Davis was stuck in the muddy mess that was the Lions’ 2020 linebacking corps. Four years into his career, he has yet to establish himself as much more than an average NFL player.

No one would ever accuse Davis of poor effort or a cool-running motor, but his inability to quickly diagnose plays and his longstanding struggles in pass coverage have caused his snaps counts to decrease drastically over the last two seasons. According to Pro Football Reference, he went from playing 99% of the Lions’ defensive snaps in 2018 to less than half of that amount in 2020.

The Lions are sure to begin a major defensive overhaul during free agency and in the draft, and the linebacker group will need a lot of attention. It’s unrealistic to expect a complete upheaval of the unit in just one offseason though, meaning some of its members will be back.

While it seems unlikely that Davis will be one of those returnees, he did receive some praise from Campbell soon after his hiring. In speaking on the Stoney and Jansen with Heather show on 97.1 in January, Campbell said of Davis:

"“You better fricking be ready for him to drop his hat and hit you right under the chin … He will literally split your chin open and knock your hat off.”"

This doesn’t necessarily mean that the Lions will go out of their way to bring Davis back. But, should his choices dry up elsewhere, and Campbell is still looking for “chin-splitters”, the slim possibility remains.

More likely, Davis gains a fresh start and latches on with another team that is also looking to bolster its linebacker depth with a specific role in mind for him. His departure would mark one of the most disappointing stretches for a Lions first-round selection in recent memory.

Prediction: Davis signs a three-year, $21 million deal with the Cleveland Browns