Lions Release Former 1st Round Pick in Early Wave of Cuts: Report

The Detroit Lions continue to trim their roster down to 53 players ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, and another major cut has rolled in on Monday evening.

This past March, the Lions made the move to bring back linebacker Jarrad Davis in free agency. The move represented a fresh start for Davis, who had a chance to make the team in a thin linebacker room.

On Monday, the Lions reportedly released Davis from the roster according to NFL Network reporter Ian Rapoport, who first broke the news.

“The Lions are releasing former first-round pick LB Jarrad Davis, source said. A bit of a surprise,” Rapoport tweeted.

Davis will now head back to free agency and try to latch on with a team during or before the 2022 season. Linebackers are always in demand across the league, so it will be interesting to see if he finds another job in the days ahead.

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Move to Cut Davis Speaks to Lions’ LB Depth

Davis had struggled in camp, but if the move seemed like a surprise at all, it was merely due to Detroit’s assumed lack of depth at linebacker.

The choice to cut Davis, however, speaks volumes about where the staff likely believes their team is at right now at the position. Last week, the Lions also cut linebacker Shaun Dion Hamilton, another move which displayed the depth the team may have for 2022 at the position.

Detroit likely expects young players to eat the majority of snaps. Derrick Barnes has drawn praise for playing well, and Malcolm Rodriguez has become a revelation at linebacker in a short amount of time. Others, such as Josh Woods, could also gain the trust of the staff.

The Lions may not be as needy as it seems at linebacker, which shows the work that Brad Holmes and his staff have done over the past few months. With that in mind, these moves might actually turn out as a positive.

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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 with Florida, Davis put 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 pursuit and coverage but his passion has never been questioned. 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.

Now, Davis will move on and try to find a new home away from Detroit in 2022.

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