Getty Jahlani Tavai hitting Tom Brady in 2020.
The Detroit Lions are keeping struggling linebacker Jahlani Tavai on the roster for the 2021 season, and to some, that revelation was surprising. That probably shouldn’t be the case, however.
For anyone looking for a reason as to why Tavai is sticking around, it’s looking more than likely that the Lions think he’s simply been playing out of shape and perhaps even out of position.
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This offseason, Dan Campbell mentioned wanting Tavai to shed weight in order to improve and mentioned he had already dropped around 30 pounds. That quote caught the attention of Pro Football Focus and writer Ben Cooper. As Cooper wrote, Tavai has been miserable statistically and otherwise the last few years, which could have motivated the changes.
He wrote:
“Linebacker Jahlani Tavai endured a rough 2020 campaign at his listed 250 pounds. Only once did he post a game grade above 70.0, seemingly going invisible at times. Tavai recorded a mere 13 stops on 265 run-defense snaps, making him one of three linebackers with 250-plus such snaps and fewer than 15 stops in 2020. It all culminated in a 32.1 overall grade that ranked 96th out of 99 qualifying linebackers, and Detroit’s coaching staff took note.”
Tavai has looked slow and out of position early in his career, so if the Lions could manage to get anything better than that out of the former second-round pick, they would be doing themselves a major favor.
At the very least, Tavai has met the staff more than halfway, so it will be fascinating to see how much shape he’s in and what the plan is for 2021.
Lions Coach Lauded Tavai This Offseason
Ever since being a second-round pick in 2019, Tavai has disappointed more often than he has been on the field and excelling. That’s led to him becoming a lightning-rod for fans, who are very critical of his play for good reason.
The slate appears to be clean with Tavai as he transitions to a new staff, however. Speaking this past week, linebackers coach Mark DeLone was asked about the linebacker and provided a pretty candid response. As he said, he’s excited to be able to coach Tavai, who has come to the mix in shape.
Mark DeLeone said he’s really excited to work with Jahlani Tavai and he reported to the facility in great shape. DeLeone said he’s going to be a great piece for this defense.
This admission from the staff might stun plenty of fans, especially folks who aren’t sure if Tavai has a future with the team. He’s looked out of place with the Lions the last few years on the field and has increasingly taken on the look of a bust relative to his high draft position.
Right now, though, the team looks to be set on giving him another chance.
Tavai’s Career Stats
So far the last few seasons, Tavai has done a bit of everything for the Lions and has been a jack of all trades but a master of none. He’s collected 116 tackles, 2 sacks and 1 fumble recovery coming into the 2021 offseason. Known mostly for his hair, Tavai has not made a ton of big plays for Detroit the last few seasons and has been an up and down player who has needed to show more consistency.
With this news, it’s clear the new staff is going to give him every chance to show that he belongs in the league. Whether that’s right or wrong will be left up for the fans to debate in the future.
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