Washington Commanders defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio is pushing all the right buttons these days. Washington’s defense is among the best in the NFL and that improvement began during the second half of the Commanders’ first game against the Philadelphia Eagles back in Week 3.
There are lots of reasons to point at for Washington’s improvement. Getting safety Kam Curl back in Week 3, the rapid improvement of young players Benjamin St-Juste, Darrick Forrest and Jamin Davis. And the defensive line, which has been good for years, is now playing collectively at an elite level.
In the offseason, Washington was criticized for not aggressively pursuing a linebacker. Most felt there was no way the Commanders could go into the 2022 season with Cole Holcomb and Davis as the top options, considering how badly Davis’ firsr season went.
Rivera and Del Rio were confident in Holcomb and Davis. They felt that Davis was far too talented not to improve in his second NFL season.
That confidence has paid off, as Davis seems to improve weekly. And he’s been without Holcomb by his side over the last three games. Holcomb is currently dealing with a foot injury. Yet, Davis continues to get better.
How far removed are we from Week 1? Remember, the week after that game, Del Rio was asked about Davis, and he didn’t exactly praise him.
It led to plenty of speculation, but as it turns out, it was all a part of the plan.
Rivera and Del Rio found a way to get through to Davis.
“We talked about it,” Rivera said of him and Del Rio discussing Davis. “I got on him a little bit, but Jack jumped his ass. I mean, he really got after him; he got after him in the press too. And all of a sudden, the realization that crap, that’s what we should have been doing because he grew up with two military parents. So he’s used to being pushed or at least that’s what I felt. And so I said that Jack, we missed early. This is a kid that needs to be pushed, that needs to be challenged, needs to be gotten after because he’s used to it. That’s kind of how we feel like, okay, we’ve gotten a lot out of him and just get after him, and he stays with him. So you learned a little bit about how to deal with the personality.”
That is good coaching. When you have 53 players on a roster, every player is different. What motivates some doesn’t motivate others. Davis is smart, athletic and possesses a terrific work ethic, but Rivera and Del Rio knew there was another way to get through to him. And it’s worked.
For the first time in his career, Davis wore the green dot against the Eagles in Week 10. The green dot is usually worn by one defensive player who is in contact with the coaching staff between plays. Essentially, that means he’s the leader on the field.
That is usually reserved for Holcomb, but Curl was that player against Minnesota. It was during that game that the coaches felt Davis was ready for the added responsibility.
“After the Minnesota game, just thinking about, hey, you know what, his role’s expanded,” Rivera said. “It’s time, and so we did.”
How big of a step is this in Davis’ development?
“Huge,” Rivera answered. “It really is. Not only just handling the huddle, but getting the calls out and setting everything up. He’s really grown in probably the last six, seven weeks. You’ve really seen the growth.”
Rivera went on to praise Davis further.
“I think the biggest thing more anything else is just listening to him, not just in the meeting rooms, but what he does out on the field,” he said. “And it’s interesting the one thing I told you guys about this is that [Defensive Coordinator] Jack [Del Rio]’s confidence in this just really been growing, and that’s big.”
It’s no coincidence the growth of some of Washington’s players has coincided with the team’s defensive improvement this season.
