Redskins add two linebackers

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March 17, 2020

by Steve Thomas

The Redskins had an active second day of the legal tampering period, signing two linebackers, Kevin Pierre-Louis and Thomas Davis.

Davis announced his signing on his Instagram page:

Davis, 6’1″ and 235 pounds, is a long-time former Carolina Panther and Ron Rivera favorite.  He was drafted by the Panthers in the first round of the 2005 draft out of Georgia and stayed in Carolina until 2019.  He signed a two year deal with the Chargers in 2019, but was cut last week.  Davis is a 3x Pro Bowler and was a first team All-Pro in 2015.  He clearly has a significant amount of miles on his body by NFL standards, having played in 192 games, starting 174, over 15 years, but his only significant injury has been to his knee.  He tore his ACL in 2009, then again in 2010, which caused him to miss the entire season, and then once more in 2011.  In total, he has made 1,210 tackles, with 854 solo tackles, 29 sacks, and 13 interceptions.  He was suspended in 2018 for violation of the NFL’s drugs of abuse policy.  Davis will join returning linebacker Jonathan Bostic as one of Rivera’s key veteran locker room leaders.

The Pierre-Louis signing was reported by ESPN’s Ian Rapoport and others:

Pierre-Louis’ contract is obviously a bargain-bin deal that can be a valuable commodity if he can prove to be a contributor to the team.  Pierre-Louis, who stands 6’0″ and weighs 231 pounds, was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks out of Boston College in round 4 of the 2014 NFL draft.  He’s played in a total of 71 games, starting 4, with 128 tackles, including 89 solo tackles, 1 sack, and 1 interception.  He was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs prior to the 2017 season, where he stayed for one year before signing a 2 year contract with the Jets for the 2018 and 2019 seasons.  However, Pierre-Louis was suspended under the drugs of abuse policy prior to the season and missed half the year as a result.  The Jets declined their team option for the 2019 season, after which he signed with the Bears for 2019.  Pierre-Louis is an inside linebacker who has a chance to provide solid depth for the Redskins.

All in all, the Redskins have remade their linebacker corps over the span of two days and will need to determine the best usage of Bostic, Davis, Pierre-Louis, returning 2019 rookie Cole Holcomb, and third year player Shaun Dion Hamilton, as well as the injured Reuben Foster during this offseason.