Dan Quinn already attempting pathetic Micah Parsons impression with Commanders

Former Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has already begun making his mark on the Washington Commanders as the team's next head coach. Unfortunately for at least one of the Commanders' linebackers -- and a recent former first-round pick -- it appears as though Quinn is trying to imitate rather than innovate as the head coach in the Nation's Capital.

According to ESPN Washington Commanders reporter John Keim, Quinn is attempting a pretty pathetic imitation of what he was able to do in Dallas with Micah Parsons. The Commanders have apparently been giving the athletic Jamin Davis reps off the edge as a pass rusher...

Dan Quinn is trying to turn Jamin Davis into Cowboys star Micah Parsons

This is a pretty wild situation, in all honesty. The Commanders took Davis in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft, so this is a clear attempt at potentially salvaging his career, or at least his time with Washington. Davis had 5.0 tackles for loss and just 2.5 sacks with the Kentucky Wildcats, which is where his NFL projection really differs from that of Micah Parsons at Penn State.

Parsons had 19.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks in his time at Penn State, and was supposed to switch to the edge during the 2020 season but opted out due to the pandemic.

It's actually wild to look back on that time and think about the fact that Parsons was as good as he was off the edge in the NFL so quickly after taking the year "off".

The issue is, Jamin Davis never really exhibited the same type of pass rush potential at the collegiate level that we saw from Parsons at Penn State. Yes, Davis is big, long, and fast. But that doesn't mean he's Micah Parsons.

Ultimately, the idea of moving Davis to the edge is worth trying if Quinn and the Commanders really don't feel like he has the ability to contribute as an off-ball linebacker. If he puts some good stuff on tape, you could actually use him there or potentially increase his trade value. But Davis is a longer, slighter player than Parsons. He does have six sacks and eight quarterback hits over the last two seasons, but playing off the edge and blitzing as an off-ball linebacker are two very different situations.

If a team sees Jamin Davis off the edge, they could run right at him and have success. You have to be able to set the edge and at 6-foot-4, 234 pounds, Davis would undoubtedly be one of the lighter edge players in the NFL with no experience playing that spot.

As we saw last year with Dan Quinn and defensive lineman Mazi Smith, trying to put guys in a new position in his defensive scheme isn't always going to work. And not every fast, athletic off-ball linebacker can play off the edge. This seems like a desperate attempt by Quinn to mimic what he was able to do with Parsons in Dallas, and Jamin Davis's career may suffer as a result.

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