Getty Chicago Bears running back Mike Davis cuts away from Green Bay Packers safety Raven Greene.
Former Chicago Bears, San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks running back Mike Davis has found a new home. After being waived by the Bears this past Saturday morning, it didn’t take long for another team to snatch him up.
Davis will now be in a backfield that features one of the NFL’s most dynamic running backs in Christian McCaffrey, because Mike Davis is heading to Carolina to play with the Panthers. NFL insider Ian Rapoport broke the news about Davis being claimed off waivers by the Panthers on Monday afternoon.
Davis had sent out a tweet indicating he had found a new team a few minutes prior to Rapoport’s confirmation, in which he said simply: “let’s get it”:
Davis won’t get to face the Chicago Bears this season unless the Bears miraculously make it to the playoffs, but he should get much more of an opportunity to run the ball in Carolina than he did in Chicago. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported that Carolina had been interested in Davis when he was a free agent this past offseason, but the Bears snatched him up before the Panthers had a chance to sign him:
Davis signed a two-year $6 million deal with the Bears this offseason, but Chicago hardly used him. In eight games with the Bears, Davis had just 11 rushes for 25 yards. The Bears traded Jordan Howard to the Philadelphia Eagles before signing Davis and drafting rookie David Montgomery, who has shown enough flashes to earn the starting slot in the Bears backfield. Still, Chicago’s use–or lack thereof–of Davis is baffling.
The Bears brought him in as a presumed insurance policy in case Montgomery didn’t work out, but he began seeing less and less of the field, and many wondered why the Bears wanted to pay Davis more than they wanted to pay Jordan Howard if they weren’t going to give Davis any chances. Davis spent much of his time in Chicago on special teams.
The Bears also released Davis because they are short on draft picks, and they were due a compensatory 2020 fourth-round pick after safety Adrian Amos signed with the Green Bay Packers. When Chicago signed Davis, it nullified the fourth-round comp pick that was tied to Amos. When they waived him Saturday, the Bears got that pick back.
Rapoport: Mike Davis Will Help Keep Christian McCaffrey ‘Fresh’
GettyCarolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey will be joined in the backfield by new addition to the team Mike Davis.
Ian Rapoport also noted that a large part of Davis’ role in Carolina could be to provide some rest and relief for McCaffrey, who is a well-known workhorse. Davis should provide a nice compliment to McCaffrey in the Carolina backfield.
McCaffrey is currently the league leader in yards from scrimmage, and he has been nursing a sore back on and off this season, so the addition of Davis can only help the Panthers and their star heading down the stretch.
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