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Cody Davis

DB Cody Davis Announces Retirement

March 28th, 2024 at 3:17pm CST by Adam La Rose

Cody Davis‘ NFL career dates back to 2013, but he will not pursue a 12th season in the league. The defensive back and core special teamer announced his retirement on Thursday.

The 34-year-old entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent and he spent his first five seasons with the Rams. Davis made the only five starts of his career during his time with the franchise, but he also established his presence as a key special teams contributor along the way. He carried on in that capacity with the Jaguars in 2018 and ’19.

Davis spent his final four seasons in New England, working alongside third phase ace Matthew Slater during his Patriots run. The former played only one snap on defense over that span, but he logged 905 on special teams. Now, the team will be without both Slater and Davis for the 2024 campaign, something which will represent a notable absence for new head coach Jerod Mayo.

“I am eternally thankful for this football journey and what it has meant to me and my family,” Davis’ announcement reads in part. “For 22 years football has been what I have done, but it is not who I am… I have more dreams and look forward to chasing them!”

The Texas Tech product secured a deal averaging $2.5MM per season during his Jacksonville tenure, and he played on three separate Patriots contracts, the last two of which had an AAV over $2MM. In all, he racked up over $16MM in career earnings. Davis will hang up his cleats in lieu of pursuing a free agent deal with New England or another team, and instead turn his attention to his post-playing days.

Patriots Activate CB Jack Jones, Place OL Riley Reiff On IR

October 21st, 2023 at 7:38pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Patriots made a number of roster moves on Saturday which will see the return of a key defender on one hand, but an extended absence of a veteran O-linemen on the other. Per a team announcement, cornerback Jack Jones was activated from injured reserve while tackle Riley Reiff was placed on IR.

Jones was designated for return earlier this week, a move which opened his three-week practice window. It comes as no surprise that the Patriots are moving quickly bringing him back into the fold given their injury woes at the cornerback spot. First-round rookie Christian Gonzalez is out for the year with a torn labrum, while Marcus Jones is on IR. Those injuries led to New England’s re-acquisition of J.C. Jackson earlier this month.

Jack Jones had a signficant role as a rookie last year, posting a 54% defensive snap share. That playing time resulted in a pair of interceptions, six pass defections and one forced fumble. The Arizona State product also posted strong coverage statistics, allowing a completion percentage of 54% as the nearest defender. A hamstring injury led to his IR stint ahead of Week 1, so Sunday’s game will mark Jones’ 2023 debut.

Reiff, by contrast, has only made one appearance this year. The 34-year-old missed the beginning of the campaign due to a leg injury, with his first IR stint shutting him down for the first month of the season. He suited up in Week 5 and saw time at both left and right guard. Signed to a one-year deal to provide depth at a number of spots, Rieff could have been option at right tackle as well when healthy. Now, though, he will be sidelined for at least another four weeks.

The Patriots also activated veteran special teamer Cody Davis from the PUP list. His return will lead to his 2023 debut, and it will not count against the Patriots’ IR activations count. Bringing back Jones, on the other hand, will use up one of the team’s six remaining activations. The same will be true of Rieff if he is brought back during the second half of the campaign.

Patriots Open Practice Window For T Riley Reiff, DE Trey Flowers

October 4th, 2023 at 2:07pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Patriots could soon have reinforcements in place on both sides of the ball. Among the players designated for return on Wednesday were offensive tackle Riley Reiff and edge rusher Trey Flowers, as noted by MassLive’s Chris Mason.

The former had started the season on IR, while the latter resided on the PUP list. Both players now have up to 21 days of practice before needing to be activated. The same is true of safety Cody Davis, whose practice window has been opened after he began the campaign on the PUP list.

Reiff joined the Patriots in the offseason in a move which gave the team a veteran option at the tackle spot, one which faced plenty of uncertainty heading into the year. His one-year deal includes over $4MM in guarantees, which led to the expectation he would see starting duties on the right side. He played there over the past two seasons in Cincinnati and Chicago. However, a leg injury suffered in new England’s preseason finale led to 34-year-old’s IR stint and kept him sidelined for the first month of the season.

The Patriots have primarily relied on veteran Trent Brown on the blindside in 2023, along with 2022 sixth-rounder Vederian Lowe on the right side. Calvin Anderson has also seen action this season, though, so it will be interesting to see where Reiff fits in upon return. The latter has 163 appearances and 149 starts to his name, and he will at least add an experienced depth option to a New England O-line which has battled injuries and inconsistency this year.

Flowers visited New England in March, doing so again in August. The second trip produced a reunion, as the 30-year-old spent his first four NFL seasons with the Patriots. His ability to play for the team for the first time since 2018 was delayed when he landed on the PUP list during final roster cutdowns, but a return will be welcomed given the injury suffered by Matt Judon in Week 4. The latter will miss considerable time while recovering from surgery to repair a torn bicep, leaving the Patriots thin on the edge. Flowers has only totaled 3.5 sacks in the last three years, but he could be a rotational contributor when activated.

As Mason notes, neither wideout Tyquan Thornton nor cornerback Jack Jones have been designated for return. Both are now eligible to come off IR, but their respective recovery timelines will see their practice windows opened at a later date. The Patriots’ CB room was dealt a significant blow with first-round rookie Christian Gonzalez suffering what could be a season-ending injury. That news prompted the reacquisition of J.C. Jackson, who could suit up as early as Week 5 alongside Reiff and Flowers if they are activated by that point.

Patriots Reduce Roster To 53 Players

August 29th, 2023 at 6:29pm CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots made headlines earlier today when they moved on from both of their backup QBs, leaving Mac Jones as the lone quarterback on the active roster. The organization has continued making moves, reducing their roster to 53 players:

Released:

Waived:

Placed on reserve/PUP:

Placed on IR:

James Ferentz is one of the few holdovers from the Tom Brady in New England, with the lineman having been with the Patriots since the 2018 campaign. Over the past five seasons, the veteran has appeared in 39 games (nine starts) for the organization. The Patriots made some additions to their offensive line via trade, perhaps costing Ferentz his roster spot.

Veteran Ty Montgomery got into only a single game for the Patriots last season before suffering a season-ending injury. The wideout/running back hasn’t topped 200 yards from scrimmage since the 2018 season. Meanwhile, Kevin Harris was a sixth-round pick by the organization just last year, with the RB getting 18 touches as a rook.

Trey Flowers rejoined the Patriots this offseason after spending the past few years in Detroit and Miami. The defensive lineman had 21 sacks for New England between 2016 and 2018, but he’s only collected 10.5 sacks in the four seasons since. He won’t be eligible to join the active roster until at least Week 5.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/21/23

July 21st, 2023 at 7:56pm CST by Ely Allen

Here are today’s minor transactions from around the league as teams prepare their rosters for training camp:

Baltimore Ravens

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Washington Commanders

 

There are some big names in Baltimore that won’t be healthy to open camp. Two offensive youngsters who can’t seem to stay on the field, Dobbins and Bateman, continue to struggle to get healthy. Bateman sat out most of the spring after receiving a cortisone shot in hopes it would help get him back in time for camp. While he didn’t report, general manager Eric DeCosta expects him back soon, according to the team’s editorial director Ryan Mink. Dobbins has started thinking about his second contract this summer, and getting healthy will be key to gaining any leverage in negotiations. Ricard is no surprise, as head coach John Harbaugh predicted this placement a month ago. Bowser, though, experienced an unexpected flare up in his knee this spring after missing eight games last season.

In Cleveland, Goodwin experienced a medical scare recently when discomfort in his legs and shortness of breath turned out to be blood clots in his legs and lungs, according to James Palmer of NFL Network. He will miss the start of training camp as the clots are addressed.

In Denver, a kicking competition appears to be in the cards. The team held a workout for Maher, Elliott Fry, and Parker White back in May and ended up signing Fry. Now, with Maher joining the team, and the exit of Brandon McManus, the position battle between Maher and Fry will continue.

In Wisconsin, Gary and Stokes each ended their season after Week 9 of last year due to long-term injuries. Both will continue slowly working their way back in order to play big roles on defense.

In Vegas, Wilson, this year’s seventh overall pick, will have to be patient in finding his way to the field for his rookie year. He was expected to be cleared for training camp after ending his college career with a Lisfranc injury, but he’ll have to wait just a bit longer. The Raiders are counting on him to relieve some of the defensive responsibilities of Chandler Jones and Maxx Crosby.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/18/23

March 18th, 2023 at 9:42pm CST by Adam La Rose

Today’s minor moves around the league:

Atlanta Falcons

Detroit Lions

Jacksonville Jaguars

Las Vegas Raiders

New England Patriots

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Armstrong saw by far the largest workload of his career in 2022, his first season with the Falcons. Starting four of the nine games he appeared in, he logged a 57% snap share on defense. The 27-year-old had offers from other teams, per his agent (on Twitter), but he will instead remain in Atlanta on a one-year contract (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of KPRC2).

Moore is one of several core special teamers earning new deals in recent days. His new Lions pact is two years in length, and has a base value of $4.5MM, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Moore will earn $3MM guaranteed, and could add a further $1.25MM in incentives.

AFC East Notes: Hyde, Wilson, Patriots

November 26th, 2022 at 11:53am CST by Ben Levine

Bills safety Micah Hyde was expected to miss the rest of the season while he continued to recover from his neck injury. As Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic writes, there could be a glimmer of hope that Hyde is back on the field during the 2022 season.

Hyde’s recent neck surgery helped eliminate the lingering pain that the veteran had been dealing with, and the safety has been active with the Bills for the past month. This includes work (alongside other inactive players) with the strength and conditioning staff, with Buscaglia writing that the safety was spotted running drills with injured members of the 53-man roster. Hyde later told the reporter that he’s taking his rehab one day at a time, but he left the door open for a return this season.

“I would love to. I would love to. We’ll see,” Hyde said. “It’s not really up to me. It’s kind of up to the doctors. Historically, no. But I’m not dealing with… those are other people, other situations. So, we’ll see what happens.”

At the very least, it’s encouraging that Hyde didn’t definitively reject the idea of a 2022 return. Now in his sixth season in Buffalo, it wouldn’t be shocking if the veteran makes a push to play as the Bills pursue a Super Bowl ring.

Some more notes out of the AFC East…

  • Despite Zach Wilson‘s disastrous Week 11 performance (and, later, his inability to take responsibility for the loss to the Patriots), the Jets continue to support the now-benched quarterback, with Robert Saleh previously indicating that this isn’t the end of the former first-round pick’s career in New York. Following the fallout from Wilson’s post-game presser, the QB still needed to win back his locker room. According to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, Wilson apologized to teammates for his post-game remarks, and while he supported fill-in Mike White, the quarterback also made it clear that he’ll be back under center before long. “It was the only thing I could think of the last couple of days,” Wilson said (via Cimini). “I wanted the opportunity to talk to those guys and really make it from the heart.”
  • Speaking of Wilson’s Jets teammates, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Jets players have been concerned about their starting QB’s performance for some time. Whether Wilson’s struggles were mental or fundamental, Rapoport notes that the organization hope Wilson’s mental break will help the QB both for this season and beyond.
  • Some good news on the injury front for the Patriots. Center David Andrews suffered what was thought to be a serious thigh injury during New England’s win over the Jets in Week 11, but Rapoport tweets that the lineman escaped a serious injury and could return for the end of the season or the playoffs. Jeff Howe of The Athletic adds (on Twitter) that while there’s no clear timeline on Andrews’ return, the veteran will do everything in his power to get back on the field.
  • The Patriots saved a chunk of money recently. According to ESPN’s Mike Reiss (on Twitter), the Patriots reworked safety Cody Davis‘ contract. The move saved the organization about $250K against the cap. The veteran inked a two-year, $4.5MM deal with the Patriots prior to the 2021 season and is set to hit free agency following the 2022 campaign.

AFC East Rumors: Jets WRs, Davis, Collins, Jones

October 21st, 2022 at 9:57pm CST by Ely Allen

Second-year wide receiver Elijah Moore made headlines yesterday when he became the second Jets pass catcher to request a trade in the past two months. The frustration leading to the request had been building for weeks, according to ESPN’s Rich Cimini, as Moore hasn’t quite found the success and production he saw in his rookie season. The team sent him home from practice for a “personal day” yesterday and are not considering trading the 22-year-old.

The other receiver who requested a trade was New York’s second-round draft pick from the year before the Jets selected Moore in the second round: Denzel Mims. Mims has been a healthy scratch for the team’s first six games of the season and, according to him, a trade is “still on the table.”

Here are a few other rumors out of the AFC East, starting with some injury details up in Massachusetts:

  • Patriots safety and core special teamer Cody Davis was placed on injured reserve earlier this week. According to the Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, the move is a result of season-ending surgery Davis must undergo to repair a knee injury. It’s a tough loss for the Patriots, who have always valued special teams experts, and a return to the NFL next season will pose a difficult test for Davis, who will turn 34 before he can return.
  • Veteran linebacker Jamie Collins has been serving time with his first career stint on an NFL practice squad during his tenth year in the league. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick seemed to indicate that Collins’ offseason surgery is the reason he’s not on the active roster, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN. Belichick insinuated that there’s a conditioning process that Collins will have to go through in order to earn a promotion to the active roster.
  • Although Dolphins cornerback Byron Jones is eligible to return from the team’s physically unable to perform list, the veteran starter is still not ready to play, according to Charean Williams of NBC Sports. Jones is still recovering from a March surgery on his ankle/Achilles area, even though head coach Mike McDaniel claimed multiple times that the team expected Jones back in time for the regular season. Instead, Jones remains on PUP and there is, reportedly, no timeline for his return.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/18/22

October 18th, 2022 at 9:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Atlanta Falcons

Baltimore Ravens

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

Washington Commanders

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/17/21

March 17th, 2021 at 4:55pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s “minor” moves:

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Tennessee Titans

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