Austin Davis - Pro Football Rumors

Seahawks Sign QB Austin Davis

June 5th, 2017 at 12:37pm CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks have added a backup quarterback… and no, it isn’t Colin Kaepernick. ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the team has signed signal-caller Austin Davis. Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets that the team has waived quarterback Jake Heaps to make room on the roster. Davis had reportedly visited the Seahawks last week.

The 28-year-old didn’t play in a single game for the Broncos during the 2016 season, and he was ultimately waived by the organization in December. The former undrafted free agent out of Southern Mississippi does have some NFL experience, as he played in 13 games (1o starts) with the Rams and Browns between 2014 and 2015. Over his career, Davis has completed 62.4-percent of his passes for 2,548 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. The quarterback reportedly met with the Giants and Ravens earlier this offseason.

Barring another addition, Davis will be competing with Trevone Boykin to serve as Russell Wilson‘s primary backup. The Seahawks had actually added Heaps last week to compete for the backup gig, although it seemed unlikely that the former undrafted rookie would be sticking around for the long haul.

This acquisiton will presumably put to rest the persisting Kaepernick rumors. We learned last week that the organization wouldn’t be signing the veteran quarterback, with coach Pete Carroll citing the 29-year-old’s ability to still start in the NFL. Subsequent reports indicated that the two sides were actually in disagreement over money, although some wondered if the Seahawks were looking to avoid a potential quarterback controversy.

QB Austin Davis To Work Out For Seahawks

May 24th, 2017 at 10:23am CST by Zachary Links

Free agent quarterback Austin Davis will be visiting the Seahawks today alongside Colin Kaepernick, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). It’s not immediately clear whether there are other QBs involved.

Davis, 28 in June, didn’t throw a single pass for the Broncos during his nearly fourth-month stay with the club. Before he was holding the clipboard duty for Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, he did have significant starting experience in 2014 with the Rams. In that season, he threw for more than 2,000 yards, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in eight starts. In between, he appeared in three games for the Browns. Earlier this year, Davis auditioned for the Giants and Ravens, but he did not get signed after either workout.

It doesn’t sound like the Seahawks will be signing Kaepernick or Davis or any other backup quarterback right away. Seattle doing background work on QBs, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, and no move is expected to take place today.

Ravens Audition QB Austin Davis

January 20th, 2017 at 8:15pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Ravens worked out free agent quarterback Austin Davis today, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Baltimore would presumably have interest in a futures deal with Davis, who was waived by the Broncos in late December.

Davis, 27, didn’t appear in a single game for Denver during his nearly fourth-month stay with the club, as he was relegated to clipboard duty behind Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch. While he played in three games for the Browns in 2015, Davis’ last significant starting experience came in 2014, when he threw for more than 2,000 yards, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions in eight starts for the Rams.

In Baltimore, Davis could compete for a backup spot behind starting quarterback Joe Flacco, one of only two QBs the Ravens currently have under contract for 2017. While No. 2 signal-caller Ryan Mallett is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency in March, Dustin Vaughan — who briefly latched onto Baltimore’s practice squad at the tail end of last season — was one of six players the Ravens signed to a futures deal earlier this month.

In addition to Davis, the Ravens also auditioned safeties Tony Burnett and Otha Foster; linebackers Kyler Elsworth and Boseko Lokombo; defensive tackle Robert Smith; and wide receivers Terrence Toliver and Brian Tyms, reports Howard Balzer of BalzerFootball.com (Twitter links).

Giants Sign Rahim Moore, Three Others

January 13th, 2017 at 2:38pm CST by Ben Levine

The Giants have signed four players to reserve/futures contracts, including safety Rahim Moore, reports Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. The organization also added linebacker Curtis Grant, running back Daryl Virgies and guard Martin Wallace.

The Giants have looked at Moore several times over the past year. The team discussed signing the former second-rounder last offseason, but the defensive back ultimately joined the Browns on a one-year, $1.85MM deal. Moore was cut in early September and earned a tryout from the Giants in October, but he ended up sitting out the entire season.

The 26-year-old spent the first four seasons of his career in Denver, where he started 48 games for the Broncos. Moore signed a three-year, $12MM deal with the Texans once he reached free agency, but he ended up compiling career-lows in games played (seven), tackles (16), and interceptions (one) during the 2015 season.

The Giants will presumably head into the 2017 season with Landon Collins and Darian Thompson as their starting safeties. The team also has undrafted free agent Andrew Adams, who started 13 games last season.

Virgies comes out of Division III Virginia University. Vacchiano notes that the running back’s career was derailed following a gunshot wound in late 2015. Wallace has one career game under his belt, and he’s spent time with the Browns, Panthers, Buccaneers, Bears, Cardinals, and Jets. Grant, an Ohio State product, spent last season in the 49ers organization.

The Giants worked out a number of additional players, according to Howard Balzer (on Twitter). The group included running back Marshaun Coprich, quarterback Austin Davis, tight end Cedrick Lang, and wideout Durron Neal.

Broncos Waive Austin Davis

December 23rd, 2016 at 5:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos parted ways with their third-string quarterback due to injuries at tight end. Denver waived Austin Davis to bring up Henry Krieger-Coble from their practice squad, Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post tweets.

Davis signed with the Broncos just before the season, doing so just after the team cut Mark Sanchez. The former Rams starter has not played in a game this season, serving as the No. 3 man behind Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch. He did dress for two, however, when Siemian was sidelined. The defending Super Bowl champions signed Davis for $1.25MM this season, and although another $200K in playing-time incentives was available if he took 50% of the snaps, he obviously didn’t come close to that.

The 27-year-old quarterback will venture onto the waiver wire, so it’s possible he could return after this week’s game. He made 10 starts between the 2014 and ’15 seasons but did not have a path to a backup job in Denver, particularly after news the Broncos are strongly considering staying with Siemian in 2017 emerged earlier this week.

Denver saw both of its top two tight ends, Virgil Green and A.J. Derby, suffer concussions. Both are still in the protocol and will not be available against the Chiefs on Sunday, joining Brandon Marshall and T.J. Ward in that regard. Jeff Heuerman (four receptions, 88 yards this season) will serve as the Broncos’ starting tight end, with Krieger-Coble being a backup in Kansas City. A rookie UDFA out of Iowa, Kreiger-Coble has not played in a game this season.

Contract Details: Broncos, Bears, Sanchez

September 8th, 2016 at 6:44pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos and receiver Emmanuel Sanders were nearing a contract extension in late August, but the deal Los Angeles gave fellow wideout Tavon Austin led to Sanders raising his asking price, reports James Palmer of NFL Network (Twitter link). Sanders and the Broncos ended up agreeing to a three-year, $33MM pact with $27MM in guarantees on Wednesday. Austin hasn’t been on Sanders’ level in terms of production, but the Ram is four years younger. That helped Austin secure a longer, richer deal – four years, $42MM – with a few million more in guaranteed money ($30MM).

More contract details from around the NFL:

Guard Josh Sitton‘s three-year accord with the Bears is worth $21MM, $9.5MM of which guaranteed, as Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune tweets. Sitton can earn an additional $250K per season if he makes the Pro Bowl, something he did three time in Green Bay.
Quarterback Mark Sanchez‘s one-year deal with the Cowboys comes with a $2MM base salary and no guaranteed money, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Receiver/returner Devin Hester‘s contract with the Ravens is for one year and $1.1MM, including $100k fully guaranteed, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
New Broncos QB Austin Davis making $1.25 million this year, according to Mike Klis of 9News (on Twitter). He’ll get another $200K if he takes 50% of Denver’s offensive snaps, which is a long shot for a signal-caller who’s behind Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch on the team’s depth chart.
Kicker Connor Barth‘s agreement with the Bears is for one year and $885K, relays Biggs (Twitter link). Barth’s predecessor, Robbie Gould, was scheduled to make $3MM this season before the Bears released him.
Earlier Thursday, the Steelers made guard David DeCastro the richest offensive lineman in franchise history.

Connor Byrne contributed to this post.

Extra Points: Giants, Cowboys, Davis, Sanchez

September 3rd, 2016 at 8:50pm CST by Zachary Links

The Sam Bradford trade got all the headlines today, but there were actually three smaller deals that were also consummated in the past twelve hours, and we’ve now learned the details about the returns. The Seahawks gave up a conditional 2017 seventh-rounder to acquire safety Dewey McDonald from the Raiders, and a conditional 2018 seventh-rounder to pick up safety L.J. McCray from the 49ers, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Meanwhile — and this might be a first — the Chiefs and 49ers have agreed to swap conditional 2019 seventh-round picks as part of the trade that sent wide receiver Rod Streater to San Francisco, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link).

Here’s more from around the league on cutdown day:

Expect the Giants to be active in checking out veteran offensive linemen released today, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. Teams were trying strike a trade with them, but nothing came of those talks. New York recently agreed to re-sign Will Beatty, who is expected to compete for time at right tackle, but the club could certainly use a bit more depth along the front five.
Austin Davis turned down a potential deal with the Cowboys because he wanted guaranteed money, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Instead, Davis signed on with the Broncos today. His one-year deal ostensibly includes guaranteed cash. Dallas, meanwhile, turned to the man Denver released today — Mark Sanchez.
Speaking of Sanchez, the Cowboys could face questions about their signing of the veteran QB, as one source indicates to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that Dallas signed Sanchez before he was technically released by the Broncos. It’s a pretty minor issue, but one that the league has seemingly been trying to crack down on in recent years.

Broncos Sign Austin Davis

September 3rd, 2016 at 4:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

4:36pm: The Broncos have announced a one-year deal for Davis.

4:28pm: After releasing veteran Mark Sanchez, the Broncos are signing Austin Davis to be their No. 3 quarterback, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Davis, 27, is a viable backup quarterback, as he has 13 games (10 starts) under his belt. Most of that action came in 2014, when he started right contests for the Rams, completing 61% of his passes for 2,001 yards, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. In Cleveland last year, Davis started two games, tossing one touchdown and two picks.

In Denver, he’ll hold a clipboard behind Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cowboys Unlikely To Sign QB Austin Davis

September 1st, 2016 at 9:41am CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys quarterback search continues. This week, the Cowboys met with Austin Davis, but it no longer sounds like they are intent on signing him, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. As Archer notes, it’s not exactly clear where the Cowboys will turn in their pursuit of quarterback depth now.

One thing we do know is that the Cowboys are only seeking a player to serve as a backup to Dak Prescott until Tony Romo is ready to return to action. The Broncos reached out to the Cowboys hoping that they might want to instead use Mark Sanchez as their starter over the next few weeks, but Dallas did not have interest in the USC product at his current salary. Meanwhile, it now sounds like Romo will be out for a minimum of two months.

Davis, 27, has 13 games (10 starts) on his resume. Most of that action came in 2014, when he started in eight contests for the Rams, completing 61% of his passes for 2,001 yards, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. In Cleveland last year, Davis started two games, tossing one touchdown and two picks.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cowboys Could Sign Austin Davis Today

August 31st, 2016 at 3:39pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys could sign Austin Davis today, according to Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram (on Twitter). However, they will continue to keep an eye on the waiver wire to see what quarterbacks may become available.

Dallas flirted with the idea of trading for a quarterback after Kellen Moore broke his leg and the QB search went into high gear after Tony Romo suffered a serious back injury in the preseason. However, the Cowboys have found that the asking price for established quarterbacks is too high for their liking. Josh McCown was once a target for Dallas, for example, but they did not want to give up a fourth-round draft choice for him.

In Davis, the Cowboys see a much cheaper alternative to the McCowns and Glennons of the world. However, one has to wonder if he can be as effective on the field as those guys if called upon.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.