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The New England Patriots signed former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Sean Davis to the practice squad on Wednesday, October 13, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.
The Patriots had Davis in for a workout on Tuesday, October 12. Apparently, they liked what they saw and brought the 27-year-old in as a member of the taxi unit. Davis, a 2016 second-round pick, could be activated and elevated as soon as this weekend’s Week 6 game against the Dallas Cowboys.
The 6-foot-1, 202-pounder had his best season as a sophomore for the Steelers in 2017, racking up career-highs in combined tackles (92), tackles for loss (7), passes defended (8) and interceptions (3) in 16 starts.
After starting 40 of his first 47 games in Pittsburgh before losing all but one game of his 2019 campaign to a torn labrum, Davis has started just one game since and has bounced around three rosters — Washington, Cincinnati and Indianapolis — in 2021.
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What Does Davis Potentially Offer the Patriots?
Can Davis help the Patriots’ pass and run defense?
Zach Hicks of Stampede Blue offered this assessment of Davis’ strengths right before he signed with the Indianapolis Colts earlier in 2021:
While his career does appear to be in a downward spiral at the moment, there are some things on film that immediately stand out in his game. He is one of those players who isn’t just a workout warrior, as his elite athleticism is apparent on film.
He has excellent range, but is at his best when he can fly downhill and attack. He is great when it comes to the ability to click and close and is explosive and fast out of his breaks.
Hicks went on to state that Davis “obviously wouldn’t be an every down linebacker” in his new role in Indy but “personally liked him more around the line of scrimmage” than from a more natural safety position.
Davis’ size and physicality are likely appealing to the Patriots who can probably envision using him to cover tight ends. Davis infamously was beaten and taunted by former Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski in a similar situation back in 2017, but Gronk has gotten the best of a lot of good players.
Which Players Are Currently on the Patriots’ Practice Squad?
In today’s NFL, the practice squad is an ever-changing and often very valuable aspect of a franchise.
In case you’re wondering what other players are on the Patriots’ practice squad with Davis, here is a look at all 16 players listed as practice squad members, per Patriots.com.
- S – Elijah Benton
- DL – Tashawn Bower
- DB – Myles Bryant
- DB – Sean Davis
- DT – Daniel Ekuale
- OL – James Ferentz
- QB – Garrett Gilbert
- C – Drake Jackson
- TE – Matt LaCosse
- TE – Ben Mason
- DL – Bill Murray
- WR – Tre Nixon
- OL – Alex Redmond
- CB – D’Angelo Ross
- OL – Will Sherman
- WR – Kristian Wilkerson
We’ll see if any other players are called up from this list for Sunday’s Week 6 meeting with the Dallas Cowboys.
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