After the Vikings game, head coach Ron Rivera felt like Jamin Davis had shown he was ready to take on more leadership duties on the defense.
"Just thinking about, 'Hey, you know what? His role's expanded.' It's time, and so we did," Rivera said.
As an acknowledgment of that expanded role and recent impressive performances, the Commanders coaching staff decided that Davis should be given the green dot for Washington's Monday Night Football game against Philadelphia. The simple sticker on the back of the helmet comes with a lot of responsibility; this player is the one member of the defense who's in contact with the coaching staff between plays.
For the linebacker, getting the green dot represents a big milestone on a journey in his second year.
"[It's] Huge. It really is. Not only just handling the huddle, but getting the calls out and setting everything up," Rivera said. "He's really grown in probably the last six, seven weeks. You've really seen the growth."
Part of the growth has been a switch in coaching approach to how to get the best out of Davis.
"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 [Jack Del Rio] stays with him," Rivera said. "So, you learned a little bit about how to deal with the personality."
Rivera felt good about how Davis handled the new role against the Eagles, and the defense as a whole certainly stepped up to the challenge of facing one of the league's best offenses. Considering the result, there is reason to believe Davis will be sporting the sticker yet again in the future.
Here's a morning roundup of what the local and national media have to say about the Washington Commanders on Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022. All reports, rumors and conjecture are a reflection of the media conversation and are not endorsed or confirmed by the Washington Commanders.
The reports and deals expressed in this article have not been confirmed by Washington, nor do they reflect any insider information from anyone in the front office.
- The Athletic's Ben Standig writes about Rivera's plans for Chase Young, Carson Wentz.
- The Washington Post's Sam Fortier writes about the viral Commanders' song.
- The Washington Times' Matthew Paras writes about the latest updates on Chase Young.
- ESPN's John Keim writes about Taylor Heinicke buying Air Jordans for teammates after Washington's win against the Eagles.
- NBC Sports Washington's Peter Hailey writes about Terry McLaurin's success against slant routes.
- NBC Sports Washington's Ethan Cadeaux writes about the Commanders being focused on preventing a letdown against the Texans.
- ESPN's John Keim writes about Taylor Heinicke starting against the Texans in Week 11.
- NBC Sports Washington's Ethan Cadeaux writes about Chase Young's status for this Sunday.
- The Washington Post's Sam Fortier analyzes why Washington has been generating turnovers recently.
- The Washington Post's Nicki Jhabvala writes about Ron Rivera's comments on the Commanders' quarterback situation.
- The Washington Post's Sam Fortier explains how the off the offense woke up against the Eagles.
- The Washington Times' Matthew Paras writes about Ron Rivera's decision at quarterback.
- The Washington Times' Matthew Paras writes about what an upset win over the Eagles means for the Commanders.
- NBC Sports Washington's Peter Hailey writes about Ron Rivera's next goal being to bring Washington "back down to Earth."
Check Out What's On Commanders.com:
- 3 keys to Washington securing a win in Houston
- Practice report | Darrick Forrest's growth comes from 'very conscientious' attention to detail
- The case for Terry McLaurin to make his first Pro Bowl
- Commanders vs. Texans preview | Heading down to H-Town
- From the Booth | The top 5 outcomes under Ron Rivera so far
- 5 takeaways from the Commanders' upset win on Monday Night Football
- Numbers to know from Washington's win over Philadelphia
- Washington found winning formula against Eagles
- Joey Slye named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week
- Game balls | 3 standouts from Washington's upset victory