Poll: Can Dan Campbell Save Jarrad Davis' Career?
Linebacker Jarrad Davis was a former first-round pick of the Detroit Lions.
Unfortunately, his play throughout his tenure in Motown has not reflected the typical expectations of a first-round selection.
As a result, former Lions general manager Bob Quinn declined Davis' fifth-year option.
In 2020, Davis lost his starting role to veteran linebackers Jamie Collins and Reggie Ragland.
In a limited role in Cory Undlin's defense, Davis made plays and became slightly more useful, but not enough to improve a defense that finished among the worst in franchise history.
Appearing on the "Stoney and Jansen" show Friday on 97.1 The Ticket, new Lions head coach Dan Campbell pointed out that Davis was a player he made sure his tight ends prepared for when Detroit hosted New Orleans back in October.
“One of the first things I circled was, man, if we’re running inside zone and we’re running our 42 ace, our lead draw, and you’re leading on No. 40, man, you better fricking be ready for him to drop his hat and hit you right under the chin," Campbell said. "He will literally split your chin open, and knock your hat off. So, look, there’s little things that you circle in there, just on guys that they had."
In his introductory media session, Campbell indicated he wants to utilize the strengths of the members of the roster and is not a coach who is particularly hung up on any certain system.
"I’m not a system guy. I’ve been through all of them, I’ve seen all of them. So, I’m not caught up on that," Campbell said. "I’m going to find the best coordinators that are going to come in, and he’s going to have a vision of how he wants to run it with mine. There’s concepts that I know work, that we did well (in New Orleans), that I’m going to implement and want to implement. But, other than that, let’s put our guys in the best position to have success. That’s what I’m about."
Do you believe that Campbell and the new defensive coaching staff can work with Davis to make him a more productive member of the defense?
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