Jack Del Rio calls out Jamin Davis for not playing well in Week 1

Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio did not hold back in his assessment of linebacker Jamin Davis’ play in Week 1’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. Del Rio called out Davis for a “so-so performance.”

“Jamin was just OK in the game,” Del Rio said of Davis, per ESPN’s John Keim. “He practiced better throughout the preseason… he has to play better. He didn’t play very well last week. I saw a lot of good things this offseason, so it surprised me he didn’t play better.”

Davis had three tackles in the game. But, his struggles were glaring in pass coverage. Yes, it was a couple of times the design on the play left him in isolation with Jaguars wide receiver Christian Kirk.

It may not be fair to expect a linebacker to cover a wideout with great success even though Davis does have blazing speed (4.47 40-time). Yet, there were moments Davis got beaten by running backs in space.

In the first quarter, Davis allowed Jaguars running back Travis Etienne to eat ground, blowing by the linebacker towards the end zone. Davis was fortunate that Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence missed the throw badly. That play should have resulted in a Jacksonville touchdown.