Demario Davis named 2020 Saints Man of the Year Veteran linebacker is the club's nominee for Walter Payton Man of the Year Award Dec 10, 2020 at 08:00 AM Copied! New Orleans Saints linebacker Demario Davis has been named the club's 2020 Man of the Year, making him the club nominee for the National Football League Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. The Walter Payton Man of the Year Award is given annually by the NFL honoring a player's community service work as well as his excellence on the field. Team nominees for all 32 clubs have been announced Thursday, Dec. 10. Davis has been a perfect fit on the field for the Saints as well as in the community in the New Orleans area since signing with the club as an unrestricted free agent in 2018 from the New York Jets. On the field, he has opened all 44 games for New Orleans as the team's defensive signal-caller and three-time defensive team captain, leading New Orleans in tackles over the period with 306 stops (218 solo), 13 sacks, one interception, 20 passes defensed, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. In 2019, Davis enjoyed his finest season to date as he was selected as a first-team Associated Press All-Pro, leading the team with 111 tackles, four sacks, one pick and a career-high 12 passes defensed. In 2020, he has followed that up and opened all 12 games, anchoring the NFL's first-ranked leader in opponent yards per game, second-ranked run defense and fourth-ranked scoring defense, leading the team with 75 tackles, while adding four sacks and four passes defensed. Overall, in his ninth NFL season, Davis has posted 966 career tackles (647 solo), 26.5 sacks, two picks, 37 passes defensed, three forced fumbles, six fumble recoveries and 24 special teams stops.