Akeem Davis-Gaither

Career StatsB

Year	Team	GP	Tkl	Sacks	INT
Career		88	320	0.5	3
2025		17	117	0.0	1
2024		17	82	0.0	1
2023		13

Season	Team	GP	Tkl	Sacks	INT	PD	Grade
2025		17	117	0.0	1	—	B- B- Top 38%
2024		17	82	0.0	1	—	C C Around average
2023		13	17	0.0	0	—	F F Bottom 5%
2022		16	46	0.0	0	—	F F Bottom 5%
2021		9	28	0.0	0	—	C- C- Below average
2020		16	30	0.5	1	—	D- D- Bottom 12%

Grades reflect the player's performance in each season. Header grade shows the current season.

Current Contract

Contract Value Index (CVI)

Among LB contracts at this AAV tier, Akeem Davis-Gaither's grades a B Contract Value Index. At $2.725M annually, Davis-Gaither represents solid value for a 28-year-old veteran linebacker with proven durability—his 2025 season saw him log 117 tackles across 17 games, a floor consistent with above-average starter production. The salary sits comfortably in the mid-tier range for his position and experience level, avoiding the inflated numbers attached to injury-prone or aging depth pieces. As a 6-year veteran out of the 2020 draft class, Davis-Gaither has already demonstrated sustained NFL productivity, and his B performance grade reflects reliable if unspectacular contributions in coverage and run defense. The Cardinals' release signals he became expendable in their current rebuild phase—a marginal roster subtraction from a 3-14 team with no near-term championship window—but the CVI verdict accounts for what he actually delivers on tape and paycheck, not the narrative surrounding his departure. His subsequent move and the scheme familiarity angle underscore that positional fit and coordinator alignment can unlock dormant value in veteran defenders at this salary, making the contract rational insurance for a team seeking linebacker depth without spending premium dollars.

Contracts in the Same Value Band

Other same-position deals the Contract Value Index also places in the B band — a quick read on where Akeem's contract sits relative to comparable money.

Performance Analysis

Akeem Davis-Gaither is a sixth-year linebacker who has carved out a legitimate role in Arizona's defense after entering the league as a fourth-round pick out of Appalachian State. He earns a B grade this season, reflecting a player trending in the right direction after a rough D in 2023. His trajectory — D in 2023, B- in 2024, B in 2025 — tells the story of a player who has rebuilt his value through consistency and effort. Davis-Gaither's tackle production is his calling card, registering 6.88 tackles per game against an NFL average of just 2.19. That figure approaches the elite threshold of 7.32 and signals a high-motor presence who finds the ball carrier reliably. His TFL rate of 0.44 per game exceeds the NFL average of 0.27, showing he can disrupt in the backfield. Pass defense remains his growth area, with 0.29 PDs per game sitting above average but well short of the elite 0.50 benchmark. Davis-Gaither's upward two-year trend suggests he is entering his prime as a thumper-style linebacker with legitimate every-down potential. If he can close the gap in coverage, he could push toward a B+ ceiling. Watch whether Arizona deploys him in more sub-package roles, which would be the clearest signal that the coaching staff views him as a complete defender.

How Akeem Compares at the Position

Akeem Davis-Gaither ranks 58th of 338 graded linebackers by performance. That slots Akeem between Micah Mcfadden (B) just ahead and Mack Wilson Sr. (B) just behind.

Fan Sentiment

Recent headlines push Akeem Davis-Gaither's sentiment grade to a D, with Arizona's broader season shaping the read. The Cardinals' release of the 28-year-old linebacker registered as routine depth management across media outlets—a marginal roster subtraction with minimal fanfare, reflecting Davis-Gaither's low profile in Arizona's linebacker room during his rotational, limited-snap tenure. The narrative centers on his Arizona exit as unremarkable: a veteran depth piece departing a 3-14 team with no championship window to salvage, generating neither significant criticism nor enthusiasm from fans or analysts. However, the D-grade sentiment captures the moment of his release itself; the *subsequent* Indianapolis signing—where Davis-Gaither reunites with coordinator Lou Anarumo—has generated the overwhelmingly positive A-grade reception now dominating the conversation, framed as a textbook low-risk, high-reward move that taps into scheme familiarity and prior system success. His 2025 season production of 117 tackles across 17 games underscores a solid-starter floor, though the Indianapolis narrative emphasizes scheme fit and special teams value over individual statistical upside. The current sentiment reality is that Davis-Gaither's value story has been rewritten: from a forgettable Arizona casualty to a "no-brainer" veteran signing poised to unlock production in the right system, a marked reversal driven entirely by destination and coordinator alignment.