It's part of the reason Rivera felt the need to use his first-round pick on one in Davis. The linebacker unit is Washington's weakest position group on defense. We really felt good about some of the things that we were going to do, and it really suited him very well.” 'You see him really getting more and more comfortable playing with more confidence. 'He’s shown us some very good improvement,' Rivera said last week. This past weekend, he played 79% of such against Denver. In Week 7, Davis played 98% of defensive snaps.

Whether it's due to injuries or for other reasons, defensive coordinator Jack Del Rio and his staff have begun to play Davis more over the past two weeks. Over the first six weeks, he never played more than 56% of Washington's defensive snaps. Here are a group of players Rivera and his staff should consider playing more during the second half of the 2021 season.Īt the beginning of the season, Davis played sparingly behind linebackers Cole Holcomb and Jon Bostic. However, there are still many younger players waiting for their chance. That doesn't even include last year's rookie class, as Chase Young, Kam Curl and Antonio Gibson have already emerged as some of Washington's best players. Some of Washington's younger players have already been counted on plenty, such as tackle Sam Cosmi, cornerback Benjamin St-Juste. It's just not going to happen overnight.' And to create a positive environment, it takes time. 'Futility doesn't just disappear overnight.

'It takes three to five years to completely change a culture,' Rivera said Monday.

This next stretch of games will be vital for several players, especially those on the younger side who hope to prove they belong in the NFL long term and should be part of the new culture head coach Ron Rivera is trying to build. Barring an epic, unforeseen turnaround over the team's final nine games, it will be watching the postseason from home.īut, just because Washington is quickly falling out playoff contention doesn't mean the team's second half of the season isn't important. At the near midway point of the 2021 NFL season, the Washington Football Team is 2-6 and in the basement of the NFC East.

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