Almost Quietly, Vikings Waive a Defender as Season Hits Final Days
The NFL can be a cruel business. Not long ago, the Vikings welcomed Jamin Davis to town, allowing the linebacker to play an attacking-style of football for four weeks while Ivan Pace Jr. nursed his injury.
Prior to the Week 17 Packers game — one that ended in victory by a narrow margin of 27-25 — the Vikings decided to move on from Mr. Davis. The team’s official social media passed along the word: “The #Vikings have activated LB Ivan Pace Jr. from IR. He will enter tomorrow without a game designation. LB Jamin Davis has been waived.”
Vikings Waive Jamin Davis
To be sure, getting Pace back is a good thing.
The 2023 UDFA is a perfect linebacker for Brian Flores. Pace is well-known for his ability to fly up the field, creating chaos against the run and as a blitzer on passing downs. The sophomore has been involved in ten games in 2024, picking up 62 tackles, 3 sacks, 6 QB hits, 6 tackles for loss, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 touchdown for his troubles.
Davis, though, is someone who offers some decent upside.
The linebacker possesses a great build as someone who stands at 6’3″ and who weighs 234 pounds. Partner that frame with some 4.47 speed and one could easily envision a sideline-to-sideline menace who is a great chess piece for a creative defensive coordinator. Folks, there’s a reason why Davis got drafted at No. 19 overall in 2021.
In Minnesota, Flores used Davis on defense for 21 snaps while Matt Daniels put him into the action for special teams for 38 snaps. Add up all the stats and you’ll see that Davis finished his time in Minnesota with 5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 QB hit, and 1 tackle for loss. Not earth-shattering stuff, but notable for a player who got added midway through the year.
Davis didn’t get a single defensive snap in the Week 16 Seahawks game, perhaps foreshadowing the exit from Minnesota.
The possibility existed that the Vikings would opt to move on from Brian Asamoah rather than Davis, but the 2022 draftee was kept around. In all likelihood, the decision came down to special teams prowess. The quick and physical Asamoah has played 302 snaps for Daniels’ special teams.
If Davis doesn’t find work elsewhere, then a reunion on the practice squad makes a decent bit of sense.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Reference helped with this piece.
K. Joudry is the Senior Editor for Vikings Territory and PurplePTSD. He has been covering the Vikings full time since the summer of 2021. He can be found on Twitter, as a co-host for Notes from the North, and as the proprietor at The Vikings Gazette, a humble Vikings Substack.
