Mike Davis is leaving the Panthers. What it means for Carolina’s running back situation
Former Carolina Panthers running back Mike Davis is signing with a familiar team in the NFC South.
Davis is joining the Atlanta Falcons on a two-year deal. The deal is worth $5.5 million with $3 million fully guaranteed in the first year, per an NFL Network report.
When running back Christian McCaffrey missed 13 games due to injury, Davis filled in, starting 12 games. He finished with 1,015 scrimmage yards, his first season over 1,000 yards, and a career-high eight touchdowns.
He only averaged 42.8 rushing yards and 11 rushing attempts per game, but Davis was also useful to the Panthers’ offense as a receiver, finishing with 373 receiving yards and 17 receiving first downs on 59 total receptions.
“As far as next year, I want to come back, but that’s not up to me,” Davis said after the conclusion of the season. “I don’t know how the things work, free agency and all that stuff. I guess we’ll see how that goes.”
Davis led all running backs with 22 forced missed tackles on receptions last year, per Pro Football Focus. He is the second former Panther to sign with an NFC South rival this offseason. Fullback Alex Armah agreed to a one-year deal with the New Orleans Saints last week.
This will be a return home for the 28-year old. Davis is from the Atlanta-area and went to college at South Carolina. He will have an opportunity to start in the Falcons’ new offense with head coach Arthur Smith. The only other running backs on the Atlanta roster are Ito Smith, Qadree Ollison and Tony Brooks-James.
Against Atlanta last season, Davis put up some of his best performances of the year. In a Week 5 road win, the running back had 16 carries for 89 yards and nine receptions for 60 yards, including one receiving touchdown. During the Panthers’ Thursday Night Football loss to the Falcons, Davis had 66 rushing yards, third-most on the year.
What does this mean for the Panthers?
The Panthers’ running back room has McCaffrey, Rodney Smith, Reggie Bonnafon, Trenton Cannon and newly signed undrafted back Darius Clark out of Newberry College in South Carolina. McCaffrey restructured his contract earlier in the offseason to create more cap room for the team.
Carolina does not have a clear No. 2 running back behind McCaffrey and it is a need that the team should address. The Panthers have been exploring its options, including expressing interest in Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson, who re-signed on a two-year, $10.4 million deal.
While the Panthers had an interest in having Davis back, as running backs coach Jeff Nixon also told The Observer in January, the team ultimately did not want to meet his price point. There are many free-agent running backs still on the market and the draft remains a possibility, as well. However, Davis was solid for the Panthers in 2020 when the team needed an alternative to McCaffrey in a way that could not have been anticipated. Someone who can be relied on for a high volume of playing time will be needed to replace him.
“I’m always looking for a running back that can play on all three downs, that we don’t have to take out of the game.,” Nixon said on what he’s generally looking for in McCaffrey’s backup. “We’d like to be in a situation where we really have, we’re two, three running backs strong in the backfield, where we can play multiple guys on all three downs. Not only to keep Christian healthy but so that we can keep production on the field while keeping guys fresh.
“I’m looking for three-down guys just like Christian who can catch balls out of the backfield, who can protect the quarterback, which is a really underrated quality for a running back.”
This story was originally published March 23, 2021 at 8:26 AM with the headline "Mike Davis is leaving the Panthers. What it means for Carolina’s running back situation."
