The Ravens signed veteran running back Mike Davis to a one-year deal on Tuesday, adding depth to the situation with injury questions. Terms of the deal were not disclosed.
In the same move, the Ravens withdrew their exclusive-rights tender to run back Tyson Williams, sending the former starter to free agency. Williams, who had 142 rushing yards in his first two games last season and just 43 yards in his next 11, was tendered in March but did not sign a one-year deal.
Davis, 29, was released last week by the Falcons after the NFL draft. In his one season in Atlanta, he appeared in 16 games and started eight, rushing for 473 yards (3.6 per carry) and three touchdowns. He added 41 catches for 261 yards and a score. Former South Carolina fourth-round pick Davis hurled more than 4 yards per carry just once in his seven-season NFL career.
Davis is the Ravens’ third running back edition since last month’s draft. The team took on Missouri’s Tyler Baddie, Southeastern Conference chief Rusher in the sixth round, then signed North Carolina State standout Ricky Persson Jr. without a draft.
The Ravens’ top two running backs, JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards, are recovering from knee injuries at the end of the season, and their recovery timetable is unclear. Coach John Harbaugh said in March that the two could open training camp on the physically disabled performance list. Reserve Justice Hill is also coming back from a torn Achilles tendon.
After parting ways with Williams, who played only four offensive snaps in the second half of last season, the team’s only healthy veteran is Nate McCurry, who will enter camp on the roster bubble. The Ravens have led the NFL in two of the last three years, but Devonta Freeman and Latvius Murray struggled behind the patchwork offensive line several times last year and were not re-signed.
“Thank you for giving me the chance,” Williams posted on Instagram. “nothing but love.”
Last season’s Falcons Walter Peyton Man of the Year nominee Davis has 544 carries with 2,004 yards (3.7 per carry) and 1,064 yards (6.4 per catch) for 14 touchdowns and 166 catches for four touchdowns. Davis’ signing arrives three days later he tweeted That she had jewelry and a pair of custom cleats stolen from her Atlanta suburban home. The cleats were designed to honor his father, Michael Oliver, who died of cancer in 2019.
“The devil works hard but I haven’t, let it ruin me,” he said.
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