Getty Jarrad Davis greets the Lions fans after a 2019 game.
When Jarrad Davis was revealed to be returning to the Detroit Lions, the move likely caught plenty of the team’s fans by surprise. Last offseason, Davis was essentially allowed to look around and ended up finding a better deal on the market.
That doesn’t mean he ever stopped thinking about Detroit, though. In fact quite the opposite. So when it was revealed late in the day on March 24 that Davis would be be returning on a one-year contract, it wasn’t a huge surprise to anyone who was really in the know even if fans may have been caught off guard.
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Davis quickly spoke with the media the same day his signing was revealed in an interview posted to DetroitLions.com and talked about his desire to return to Detroit. As he said, even when he left, those desires to one day make a comeback never really left him thanks to how special the place was, and the familiarity of the Motor City played a big role in his eventual re-signing.
“I mean one, definitely the familiarity, like knowing that this is the place that pretty much raised me and knowing how much I enjoyed it. Especially getting a chance to see and really realize how much I missed it while I was gone, too,” Davis told the media. “You know, every time wasn’t always a good time (away), but I’m telling you this, ball here is fun. I love playing (here). I love playing in (Ford Field). I love being right around the city. I love being able to see the Michigan summers, the winters, I’m still learning, still trying to grow on me but I enjoy this place man, I really do and it just feels right even thinking about being here again. It just feels right.”
Clearly, based on those words, Davis didn’t really want to leave at all. Last season, the Lions were tighter to the salary cap, which could have been why Davis was allowed to walk in the first place. With some of those issues ironed out, the team was able to do a deal that made sense for both parties and allowed for the linebacker to come back to the place he forged his humble beginning in the league.
As Davis told the media, he thinks the familiarity will help him a lot on the field and off.
“I love it, like this place is just so familiar. I know it. There’s people I know in the city that can help me be a better person, a better player. There’s so many things that excite me about coming back to Detroit, and it’s just a matter of staying focused and getting the job done,” he said.
There doesn’t seem to be any limit to the good feelings Davis has upon making his comeback to Detroit, a place he clearly embraces.
Lions Coaching Staff, Davis Could Mesh Well
The signs were there even dating back to last year that Detroit’s staff wanted to get an extended look at Davis. Right after he took the job, Lions coach Dan Campbell was raving about Davis, as The Athletic’s Chris Burke pointed out. His review of the player was quite glowing at the time.
Dan Campbell said in a radio interview shortly after taking the Lions’ job that he was a big fan of Davis,: ‘There’s something about that guy, man, … He pops off the tape and you feel like, man, can we help this guy? Can we make this guy a better player?”
“Dan Campbell said in a radio interview shortly after taking the Lions’ job that he was a big fan of Davis,: ‘There’s something about that guy, man, … He pops off the tape and you feel like, man, can we help this guy? Can we make this guy a better player?,” Burke tweeted in recapping the prior Campbell interview.
In terms of his new defensive coordinator, Davis returned the love for the staff when he spoke with the media, and said he can’t wait to get to work with his new defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, whom he is already fired up to play for.
“I actually got a chance to talk with him a little bit last year when everything started with free agency. Just being able to sit down and hear what he’s like, hear what he says but also just feel the energy that’s coming from him, I’m excited,” Davis said. “There’s a lot of former players on this staff. Just being able to understand the challenges of what it was like for them to be a player in their day and age playing the game and what’s similar for us, what’s a little bit new and how to circumvent those things and how to conquer those things. That guy right there, I’m excited just to be able to sit down with him as much as I can to understand how he’s wired and just get to know him as a defensive coordinator, how he likes to call plays because I feel like that can be a very great asset because he has that mentality that a lot of us do when we go out there on Sundays and play.”
Clearly, the Detroit coaching staff is finding a perfect philosophical fit with Davis. He loves the game of football as much as they do, and that could make for a great pairing in the years ahead with the player and allow him to rejuvenate his career on the field.
Davis’s Career Stats & Highlights
Davis always brings it on the field in terms of energy and passion, and that’s something he has done since he played in college with the Florida Gators while putting up 201 tackles and 5.5 sacks in Gainesville. Known as one of the best tacklers and leaders in his class when he came out, Davis has always had all the tools to be a solid NFL player, but has yet to get comfortable in the league. Perhaps he can find a home in Detroit again with his aggressive play and achieve some consistency. Though he wasn’t always elite or a star, he has played at a high level in the league before like the tape shows:
At times, Davis can be his own worst enemy in terms of the things he does on the field in pursuit and in coverage, but more often than not, his speed and passion is a major advantage for him when in attack mode. One of his last years in Detroit, Davis was best at rushing the passer. He put up 63 tackles and 2 sacks in the 2019 season for the Lions. As a whole in his career, Davis has 330 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 7 forced fumbles and 1 interception.
With a comfortable fit in plenty of ways, there doesn’t seem to be a reason that Davis cannot come back and achieve a measure of success with his new old team.
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Jarrad Davis Makes Strong Statement About Return: ‘Just Feels Right’