Detroit Lions LB Jarrad Davis’ presence being felt from the sidelines

Last week, the Detroit Lions named Jarrad Davis one of their seven team captains. Though his play has been inconsistent at times, Davis is a model NFL player with exemplary work ethic and football intelligence. Ask any coach in the building, and they’ll point to Davis as exactly the kind of player the love to teach.

And while Davis suffered a preseason injury that kept him sidelined in Detroit’s Week 1 game against the Cardinals, defensive coordinator Paul Pasqualoni said his presence was still felt Sunday afternoon.

“He’s part of that group even though he wasn’t in the game—his leadership, his presence all during the week, his support of those players—Jalen (Reeves-Maybin) and Jahlani (Tavai) and all of them,” Pasqualoni said on Tuesday. “Jarrad really helped prepare, really was there helping us coach them, giving them reminders in-between the series. You’re certainly going to miss him on the field, but he was still a part of that effort.”

This comes as no surprise to keen observers from Sunday’s game. Several times during FOX’s broadcast of the game, you could see Davis strolling the sidelines with a headset on, sometimes right next to head coach Matt Patricia.

That’s exactly the kind of leadership and passion you’d expect from a team captain.

And the Lions may benefit from Davis’ presence on the field sooner rather than later. Despite suffering what seemed to be a severe ankle sprain just three weeks ago, Davis returned to practice last week. Though he still hasn’t been participating much, it’s only a matter of time before Davis is back out on the field and leading by example again.