The Lions have declined to pick up Jarrad Davis’ fifth-year option for 2021. But that does not mean they are done with Davis, Matt Meinke of Mlive reports.
In fact, quite the contrary.
Coach Matt Patricia said the middle linebacker remains a foundational piece of the defense, and remains very much in the club’s plans for the foreseeable.
“I think JD is a cornerstone of what we’re trying to do, and he’s in those big-picture plans of where we’re trying to go,” Patricia said on Tuesday morning during a video call with reporters from his home in Northville. “Just (trying to) make sure we have the best season we can this year and then just go from there. And he’s, you know, JD is by far –he’s a solid (as a) rock leader. Everything-you-want-in-the-program type of guy. So from that aspect of it, you know, he’s everything (we’re) building around, trying to get him to keep continuing to grow and develop and to get better. He’s a great kid. He’s awesome.”