Offseason Player Spotlight: ILB Lavonte David

January 27, 2023

by David Earl

Lavonte David

Heading into the 2023 offseason, Ron Rivera will have a decision to make at the linebacker position, particularly in the middle. Cole Holcomb is slated to be an unrestricted free agent who now leaves a hole to fill. Does Ron play the loyalty card and bring back a nice player who certainly outplayed his draft status or upgrading the position? Cole’s limitation in the passing game and his average lateral movement has been exposed and attacked many times this season. On the other hand, Lavonte David is still playing at a strong level even at the age of 33. The veteran linebacker recorded 14 tackles (including nine solo) in Tampa Bay’s 31-14 wild-card loss to the Cowboys while finishing the regular season with 123 tackles (including 80 solo), three sacks, five defended passes, one fumble recovery, and one forced fumble. His experience and complete level of play are seen in his on-field discipline; plus, he’s athletic enough and has enough his size to take on jobs most safeties can’t handle, especially against pass-catching tight ends. Both these attributes and his market value according to Spotrac, which projected an average annual salary of $9.7M, make him a prime target to pair up with Jamin Davis this offseason. David may not possess the elite level of play he once had, but there is no question he’s an upgrade over Cole Holcomb and can greatly aid in Jamin Davis’s maturation as a linebacker in the NFL. Washington final stats for the linebacker position group for the 2022 season:

• Tackles 124 (ranked 20)
• Solo Tackles 80 (ranked 16)
• Passes Defended (ranked 25)

Through the Draft

• Noah Sewell, LB, Oregon: Noah Sewell is a traditional Mike Linebacker with excellent athleticism which would allow him to be used off the edge. Where he does lack a little in instincts against the run, his recovery speed and play strength do well in overcoming this slight deficiency. In zone coverage, he plays at a good depth with good eye recognition in the intermediate passing game. While he is not a Luke Kuechly by any means, Noah displays a higher athletic profile than Cole Holcomb, who can play within a zone coverage scheme well.
  
• Trenton Simpson, LB, Clemson: Trenton Simpson is more of a hybrid type linebacker whose best asset is in zone passing scheme coverage and can effectively get to the quarterback. He’s certainly not a traditional Mike linebacker but I include him because of Ron’s favorite attribute: “position flex.” Trenton is versatile enough to have played a number of positions across the defense, including some free safety. The infamous buffalo nickel role is absolutely ideal for this kid, although he could very easily play the Will linebacker role if they decided to move Jamin Davis to the full-time Mike linebacker role. An additional nugget to consider is that he is from a military family and we all know how much Ron loves the military aspect of these players.
• Henry To’o To’o, LB, Alabama: Simply put, Henry To’o To’o is a high-IQ, instinctual linebacker who plays the run and zone passing scheme very well. His only limiting factor is his size – he can get swallowed up by the offensive guards on inside run plays and struggles to get off blocks. However, he has a strong ability to read the quarterback and recognize passing schemes thus leading his to be a disruptive player in the passing game.

Conclusion

Aside from the offensive line, the middle linebacker position needs to be among Ron’s top priorities this offseason. As mentioned before, Cole Holcomb is a nice player who absolutely outplayed his draft stock but his limitations in the passing game are just too much of a liability for this defense. Whether they sign Lavonte Davis and then draft a guy like Henry To’o To’o or use a first-round pick on Noah Sewell, it is important to allow Jamin Davis to continue his growth at the outside linebacker role and solidify the Mike role elsewhere. As intriguing as Trenton Simpson is, Ron needs to play this smart and not overdraft another player because he is enamored by his character. Many project him as a late first round pick but he screams to me “Jamin Davis clone”. Entering his 4th season as a head coach, Ron cannot afford another learning curve as was the case with Jamin. If his attributes enamor Ron then maybe the best course of action is signing Lavonte Davis and positioning themselves in the second round for an undersized version of Trenton Simpson in Henry To’o To’o who certainly has the versatility and football IQ to play the buffalo nickel role. It is, of course, early in the process and players will move up and down the draft boards, and an “out of nowhere” sleeper that will probably catch everyone’s eyes, but Ron Rivera has to get this right. Washington should not reach in the first round, especially if an offensive lineman like Ohio State’s Paris Johnson (OT) or Georgia’s Broderick Jones (OT) is on the board.