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Demario Davis is a 37-year-old off-the-ball NFL linebacker.
You don’t see this very often, especially in the modern era, in a really fast league.
And it’s generally hard for older linebackers, who often lose a little speed later in their careers, to handle the challenges of the off-the-ball linebacker role, which includes covering tight ends, running backs, and sometimes wide receivers.
There was an article by ESPN’s Rich Cimini this week on how Davis’ laser focus on conditioning, nutrition, and recovery has helped him stave off Father Time.
According to the article, Davis spends between $500,000 to $1 million a year on training and recovery.
“My body is my company, and the brand that comes from playing the game is my company,” Davis told Cimini. “If I don’t reinvest in the engine of the company and the brand of the company, I just don’t think that’s wise. I just try to be a good steward of what’s been given.”
And his due diligence with his body has clearly worked, still at the top of his game after 14 NFL seasons.
And he’s coming off a career high of 143 combined tackles last year, playing for the New Orleans Saints.
Watching Davis play last year in New Orleans, Davis was the same player he’s always been – an excellent run defender and alpha dog leader who keeps the defense organized and motivated on the field.
However, like most of his career, he was good, not elite, in pass coverage last year. Davis isn’t bad in coverage, but he’s not Lavonte David. In his first 14 years in the NFL, Davis has a total of four interceptions, and only amassed double-digit passes defensed one time, with 12 in 2019.
So, the Jets must supply him with a partner at inside linebacker who is an excellent coverage linebacker.
So, it was a little surprising they didn’t address this need in free agency or the draft.
They didn’t draft or sign a new veteran coverage linebacker.
Now, linebackers who covered like David, the former Tampa Bay star, are hard to find, but why didn’t they take a flyer on somebody like Pitt’s Kyle Louis or LSU’s Harold Jenkins in the middle rounds?
It’s still possible they could add somebody before the season, and I’m going to bring up a name in a second, but right now, the candidates to start next to Davis are Jamien Sherwood, Marcelino McCrary Ball, Kiko Mauigoa, Mykal Walker, Chase Wilson and Jaden Keller.
Some people might think it’s foolish to include all those names, but I’m a true believer in open competition, and open competition, in the purest form, without politics, means that any player in the position room should be a candidate to start.
There should not be any anointing oil, meaning that Sherwood should not be given the job, just because he’s highly paid.
And if Sherwood is going to be the starter next to Davis, he needs to show a lot more in pass coverage this summer than he did last season.
If you break down Sherwood’s film from last year, you wouldn’t necessarily say, “That is the coverage linebacker the Jets should play next to Davis.”
The free agent linebacker name I’m going to throw out, before wrapping up here, is former Buffalo Bill, Matt Milano.
Obviously, he’s had a rough injury history in the league, but when healthy, he’s very good in coverage, so he might be worth taking a flyer on.
July 1, 2026
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