Demario Davis hopes the third time is the charm in New York.
The Jets' third-round pick in 2012 spent his first four seasons with Gang Green before signing a two-year contract in Cleveland in 2016. After one year with the Browns, he was traded back to New York in 2017. The hard-nosed linebacker then signed a free-agent deal with the New Orleans Saints in 2018, where he's spent the past eight seasons, gobbling up tackles and earning two Pro Bowl nods.
Davis inked a two-year, $22 million contract with the Jets this offseason as part of New York's heavy investment in proven veterans, aimed at turning around an off-track locker room.
Last week, Davis said he's "grateful" to be back in New York and added that he believes in "what's being built" under coach Aaron Glenn.
"Leaving here, I felt the mission personally was a little incomplete," Davis said Thursday, via the team’s official website. "This is my third time around, but this time I come back very different, very purposeful, very clear on vision, on who I am.
"This wasn't a happenstance situation. This was a choice, knowing who I am and what I am called to be. I know what I'm stepping into this time around. I know what I'm bringing into a locker room. I know I play the game at an elite level. I know every year I'm trying to play better than the prior year."
What he's stepping into is a defense that struggled in every facet last year. The Jets couldn't disrupt the quarterback, tackled like armless flints and famously forced zero interceptions.
Gang Green sought to solve the problem by injecting veterans into the fold -- soldiers who can carry Glenn's message. In addition to the 37-year-old Davis, the Jets traded for 29-year-old Minkah Fitzpatrick and signed 33-year-old David Onyemata. They also added Joseph Ossai, Nahshon Wright, Dane Belton, Kingsley Enagbare and traded for T'Vondre Sweat.
The Jets are hoping the concoction of experienced veterans and untapped talent can help flip the defense in Glenn's second season.
"I know what this city's expectations are, I know what the city desires," Davis said. "I don't come in with any false hope, false promises. I'm just here to serve, to give every part of me and lead in a way that everyone who is watching will be proud of.
"And I would just say, man, it's great to be back and be a New York Jet. Everyone should be fired up for us ahead. Now, let's get going, let's get to work."
