Sean Davis clearly did not take the step many expected in 2017. His grade in Bleacher Report’s NFL 1000 reflects that with Davis coming out as one of the worst in the NFL.
He was rated 51st out of 54 strong safeties only finishing ahead of household names like Xavier Woods, Da’Norris Searcy, and Shalom Luani. Davis finished with a grade of 57 out of 100, earning an ugly 9/25 for his tackling. Here is what author Kyle Posey wrote about him.
“Davis is likely still having Rob Gronkowski-related nightmares. Pittsburgh’s 27-24 Week 15 loss to New England highlighted Davis’ yearlong troubles in coverage, as he never seemed comfortable. The 24-year-old was a willing run defender and had no problem making plays around the line of scrimmage. However, he missed far too many tackles: 21, to be specific. Don’t be surprised if the Steelers upgrade this position in the offseason.”
Those 21 missed tackles fall in line with what our Josh Carney came up with, having him down for 23 last year. The Patriots game referenced was one of his worst, getting dusted by Rob Gronkowski time and time again, though miscommunication also played a factor.
Davis did create more splash this season with three interceptions and a forced fumble, though two of the picks were taking advantage of two terribly thrown passes. He was healthy in 2018 after an injury-plagued rookie year but the jury is still out on his ceiling in the NFL.
He was graded so bad that he actually finished behind Robert Golden, who came in one spot ahead with a grade of 58. Golden isn’t the athlete Davis is and isn’t even as good in coverage but is certainly more consistent, especially as a tackler. Going off our charting, Davis missed a tackle once every 41 snaps while Golden missed one every 68.
The top five of the list included: Harrison Smith, Patrick Chung, Jaquiski Tartt, Byron Jones, and Lamarcus Joyner.
Safety should be one of the Steelers top priorities in 2017 both for the short-term depth and future replacement for Mike Mitchell. Another down year for Davis could have the team thinking about finding his replacement, too. Breaking down Davis’ season is something at the top of my list this summer.
