Austin Davis - Pro Football Rumors

Cowboys To Meet With QB Austin Davis

August 30th, 2016 at 6:48pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cowboys are known to be in the market for a veteran backup quarterback after losing Tony Romo to start the season, and they’ll meet with with a signal-caller who just earned his walking papers yesterday. Dallas is set to host quarterback Austin Davis, who was waived by the Browns on Monday, according to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).

Aside from Romo, the Cowboys’ only other quarterbacks are Dak Prescott — who presumably won’t play much, if at all, during the club’s final preseason game — and 2015 UDFA Jameill Showers. As such, Dallas needs options to simply get through it’s fourth exhibition contest, and George cautions that Davis might only be an arm for that final tuneup.

But Davis, 27, is also a viable No. 2 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.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Browns Cut Paul Kruger, Others

August 29th, 2016 at 8:00am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns have released linebacker Paul Kruger, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes. Also in this wave of cuts were kicker Travis Coons, quarterback Austin Davis and tight end E.J. Bibbs.

Kruger recorded 11.0 sacks in 2014, but last season he saw his sack count drop to 2.5. Over the summer, Kruger didn’t perform as well as the team had hoped and today he became a roster casualty as the club focuses more on its young players. According to Cabot, Friday night’s preseason game against the Bucs was Kruger’s last chance to make a strong impression on the team but he failed to do that as he didn’t get close to sacking starter Jameis Winston.

Kruger came to the Browns in 2013 when he inked a five-year free agent deal worth $40.5MM, including $13MM guaranteed. He was under contract through next season at $6.5MM this year and $7MM next year. Now, the Browns will save millions by cutting him loose.

Meanwhile, the release of Coons means that former Bucs kicker Patrick Murray has won the Browns’ kicking job.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Rams, Pettine, Flacco, Raiders, Draft

December 8th, 2015 at 9:06pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

A look around the NFL as Tuesday wraps up:

Free agent cornerback Cary Williams, whom Seattle released Monday, is drawing interest from several teams around the league, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (via Twitter). One of those teams is the Rams, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
The Browns officially named Johnny Manziel their starting quarterback today, but it doesn’t sound as if head coach Mike Pettine is 100% committed to the decision. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) suggests that the move back to Manziel from Austin Davis was motivated in part by Pettine trying to save his job.
Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco had surgery Tuesday to repair his torn ACL. The procedure went well, per ESPN’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). He’s expected to make a full recovery and should be back in six to nine months, adds CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora (Twitter link).
The Raiders extended the contract of fullback Jamize Olawale on Tuesday, and ESPN’s Bill Williamson points to offensive tackle Donald Penn and receiver Michael Crabtree as players the club could look to lock up next (Twitter link). Penn has started 28 straight games since joining the Raiders in 2014, while Crabtree leads the team in receptions (66), targets (115) and touchdowns (seven) this year. Both are scheduled to hit free agency during the upcoming offseason.
Clemson safety Jayron Kearse and Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee are leaning toward entering the 2016 draft, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter links: 1; 2). If they do, Michigan tight end Jake Butt won’t be joining them. He announced that he’ll return to school for his senior season (Twitter link via Getlin).

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Johnny Manziel To Start For Browns

December 8th, 2015 at 1:13pm CST by Luke Adams

TUESDAY, 1:13pm: The Browns have made it official, announcing in a press release that Manziel will start this week.

MONDAY, 10:22am: Another week, another new starting quarterback for the Browns. According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, Cleveland will turn back to Johnny Manziel as its starting quarterback in Week 14, two weeks after benching the second-year signal-caller as discipline for his off-field behavior.

While the Browns have yet to confirm that decision, Mortensen reports that Manziel will get the call next week unless he does something to jeopardize his status. Since Manziel’s last start for the Browns, the team has gone through two other starters, with Josh McCown getting the nod in Week 12 and Austin Davis being called upon for Week 13 after McCown landed on IR with a broken collarbone.

As I noted last week when the Browns announced Davis as their starter, it makes sense for the team to get another look at Manziel before the end of the season to get a better idea of where all their quarterbacks stand heading into 2016. Still, a source tells Mortensen that the organization is uncertain whether the 2014 first-round pick “can re-establish the hope” the Browns had in him when they drafted him.

Manziel, who turned 23 on Sunday, was initially removed from the starting job after photos surfaced of him partying at a nightclub in Austin during the team’s bye week. Reports indicated that the Texas A&M product lied to the Browns about the photos, though the club never confirmed that.

Assuming Manziel hangs onto the job the rest of the way, he’ll have some tough challenges ahead in the next four weeks. The Browns finish the season by playing the 49ers, Seahawks, Chiefs, and Steelers. Besides San Francisco, each of those teams ranks in the top half of the league in defensive DVOA, and all four clubs are coming off Week 13 wins.

Davis, whose offense could muster three points in Sunday’s blowout loss to the Bengals, will return to the No. 2 role behind Manziel.

Browns Rumors: Pettine, QB, Haden, Hawkins

December 3rd, 2015 at 7:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The Browns played a little better than many observers expected during Mike Pettine‘s first season as the head coach in 2014, but the team finished that season on a five-game losing streak, and have gone 2-9 so far in 2015. Taking those struggles into account, Pettine acknowledges that he and owner Jimmy Haslam figure to have a talk about his performance sooner or later, and he hopes he’ll have some positive signs to point to when that discussion happens.

“As the season winds down, [my future] could potentially come up between [Haslam and me],” Pettine said today, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. “I’m full speed ahead to getting it fixed here in Cleveland, and I know the results aren’t anywhere near where they need to be. But that doesn’t mean that we’re not making strides, we’re not getting it set up that it can be done. So, to me, it’s a belief that we can. We got five games left and we’re going to go out and wear the Cleveland logo proud and try to win football games.”

As Pettine attempts to right the ship in Cleveland, let’s check in on a few more Browns-related notes…

Discussing the decision to start Austin Davis in Week 13, making him the Browns’ third starting quarterback in three weeks, Pettine suggested that just because Davis is atop the depth chart now, that doesn’t mean he’ll finish the year there (link via Ulrich). “I don’t want to declare, ‘Hey, this is what it is going to be from here on out,'” Pettine said. “[Davis and Johnny Manziel] are two young quarterbacks that have upside, and we want to see what that upside is. Austin is the guy for this week.”
According to Pettine, the Browns may have some discussions about the possibility of placing cornerback Joe Haden and/or wide receiver Andrew Hawkins on injured reserve (Twitter link via Tom Withers of The Associated Press). Both Haden and Hawkins have concussions, but the team hasn’t decided yet to shut down either player for the year.
New Browns wideout Terrelle Pryor said today that he was in the middle of a visit with the Bears this week when Cleveland called him, per Ulrich (Twitter link). Pryor was interested in a return to Cleveland since he knows the offense and offensive coordinator John DeFilippo.
The three-week practice period for Browns tight end Randall Telfer expired this week without a roster move, as Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post tweets. Telfer has been on the non-football injury list all season, and having missed his window to be activated, he’ll officially be out for the rest of his rookie year.

Austin Davis To Start For Browns

December 2nd, 2015 at 10:15am CST by Luke Adams

With Josh McCown out for the rest of the season with a broken collarbone, the Browns won’t hand the reins back to Johnny Manziel — at least not yet. The team announced today in a press release that Austin Davis will get the start in Week 13 against the Bengals.

“Austin took advantage of his opportunity on Monday night. He was prepared, played well and put us in position to win,” said head coach Mike Pettine in a statement. “He’s been great in the quarterback room all season and he has earned the right to start on Sunday. We expect him to play well.”

Davis was called upon on Monday when McCown went down, with Manziel serving as the No. 3 quarterback in that game, so today’s decision doesn’t come as a real surprise. Still, it shows that the Browns are serious about disciplining the second-year signal-caller for his off-field behavior.

Manziel, who turns 23 this coming Sunday, was removed from the starting job last week after photos surfaced of him partying at a nightclub in Austin. Reports indicated that the Texas A&M product lied to the Browns about the photos, though the club never confirmed that.

At some point, particularly if Davis struggles mightily or goes down with an injury of his own, the Browns may determine that it’s worth getting a look at Manziel down the stretch, with the team well out of playoff contention. For now though, he’ll serve as Davis’ backup as the Browns prepare for Cincinnati.

Browns Place Josh McCown On IR

December 2nd, 2015 at 9:35am CST by Zachary Links

WEDNESDAY, 9:35am: The Browns have officially ended McCown’s season by placing him on injured reserve, the team announced today in a press release.

TUESDAY, 2:09pm: Browns quarterback Josh McCown is done for the season with a fractured collarbone, coach Mike Pettine told reporters (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). When asked about who will start the team’s upcoming game, Pettine indicated that things are still up in the air.

McCown finishes the year with fairly respectable numbers. The Browns only won one of his eight starts, but he completed 63.7% of his passes, throwing for 2,109 yards, 12 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. Having signed a three-year contract with Cleveland, McCown still has some guaranteed money left on his deal in 2016, so he’s a good bet to return either as the starter or backup.

Now, the question becomes whether Pettine will install Johnny Manziel or Austin Davis as the starting quarterback going forward in 2015. After Manziel was removed from the starting job, he was moved down to No. 3 on Cleveland’s depth chart behind Davis. Technically speaking, that would put Davis in line for the temporary starting role, but the organization ostensibly would want to see what they have in Manziel rather that Davis, whose ceiling is likely as a backup in the NFL.

North Notes: Perriman, Browns, Bears

October 1st, 2015 at 3:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Rookie wide receiver Breshad Perriman has yet to make his regular season debut for the Ravens, and it sounds like that probably won’t be happening anytime soon. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Perriman re-injured his PCL over the weekend, and underwent arthroscopic surgery, performed by Dr. James Andrews. Perriman will now be sidelined indefinitely, says Rapoport.

While there were a handful of exciting young receivers selected in the first round of this year’s draft, many of them have yet to make an impact on the field — Perriman and Kevin White are battling significant injuries, and DeVante Parker, Phillip Dorsett, and Nelson Agholor have combined for just 13 overall receptions through three weeks. Among this year’s first-round wideouts, only Amari Cooper, who has 20 catches for 290 yards, is off to a fast start.

Here’s more from out of the league’s two North divisions:

The Browns are bringing aboard former Falcons and Texans offensive line coach Paul Dunn, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that Dunn is expected to replace Andy Moeller as the club’s main offensive line coach. Per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link), head coach Mike Pettine stressed that George DeLeone is acting as the Browns’ OL coach for now, so we’ll have to see how the roles play out.
Having signed a two-year extension with the Browns, quarterback Austin Davis views the new contract as a sign of the team’s trust in him, as Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal details. Ulrich also notes that the base salaries on Davis’ deal are $1.35MM for 2016 and $1.7MM for 2017.
As first reported by Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link), the Bears brought in punters for a tryout today, with Pat O’Donnell having missed Wednesday’s practice. Punters Spencer Lanning and Steve Weatherford, along with long snapper Patrick Scales, participated in the workout, tweets Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com.
After the Bears jettisoned multiple defensive players this week, a number of veterans on the team may be wondering if they’re next, writes Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. One player who spoke to Finley, tight end Martellus Bennett, acknowledged that the possibility of being traded or cut is always present, and it’s just part of the business. Earlier today, I asked whether we’ll continue to see Chicago make more moves in advance of the trade deadline.

Browns Extend Austin Davis

September 30th, 2015 at 8:20am CST by Luke Adams

With the roles of Josh McCown and Johnny Manziel dominating headlines in Cleveland during the season’s first few weeks, the Browns have made a move with the third quarterback on their roster. According to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Cleveland signed Austin Davis to a two-year, $4.173MM extension, locking him up through the 2017 season.

Davis, who started 2014 as the third quarterback on the Rams’ depth chart, eventually took over for Sam Bradford and Shaun Hill as the team’s starter for eight games, leading the club to a 3-5 record in those games. He compiled 2,001 passing yards to go along with a 63.4% completion rate and an 85.1 passer rating, earning him a low-end ($1.542MM) RFA tender from St. Louis.

However, Davis didn’t make the cut when the Rams reduced their roster to 53 players, and days later, he was quickly scooped up by the Browns. Having been in Cleveland for less than a month, Davis has clearly made an impression on the club’s staff to earn a two-year extension, though it’s not clear how much of his new deal is guaranteed.

Interestingly, Davis’ extension comes during a time when general manager Ray Farmer is still serving a four-week suspension. Presumably, before Farmer began serving the four-game ban earlier this month, he outlined the potential parameters of a new contract for the ex-Rams quarterback, since it’s hard to imagine interim GM Bill Kuharich deciding on his own to get something done mere days before Farmer returns.

With Davis under contract through 2017, it gives the Browns some flexibility at the quarterback position going forward. McCown’s deal also runs through ’17, and Cleveland holds Manziel’s rights through his fifth-year option season in 2018. However, if the team decides to move on from any of the three quarterbacks during the next year or two, it can do so knowing it still has two viable options locked up.

Browns Sign Austin Davis, Put Charles Gaines On IR-DTR

September 7th, 2015 at 12:12pm CST by Rob DiRe

MONDAY, 12:12pm: The Browns have officially announced their signing of Davis. To make room on the roster, the club used its injured reserve slot with the designation to return on rookie cornerback Charles Gaines. The sixth-rounder will now miss at least the first eight weeks of the club’s season.

SUNDAY, 10:10pm: Earlier today, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN opined that he would not be surprised if the Browns put in a waiver claim for recently released quarterback Austin Davis, given their current trouble at the position (via Twitter).

Fowler looks pretty smart now, as Davis is flying to Cleveland tonight to have a physical with the Browns sometime tomorrow (via Twitter). He is expected to sign with the Browns, assuming the team has an open roster spot for him.

Josh McCown is set to start the opener, but backup Johnny Manziel has experienced soreness in his elbow that has left the team uncertain about his health for the beginning of the season.

The team also just cut both players battling for the third-string role, in Pat Devlin and Thad Lewis. This was viewed as a sign Manziel would be healthy in time for the opener, but bringing in Davis throws even more uncertainty into his arm health.

Former quarterback Terrelle Pryor, who made the Browns as a wide receiver, could always be turned to in emergency situations if both McCown and Manziel become unavailable during a game.

Davis was the 29th ranked quarterback in 2014 according to Pro Football Focus, despite only throwing a pass in nine games last year. For the season he completed over 63% of his passes, with 12 touchdowns and nine interceptions, amassing over 2,000 yards in the process. Respectable numbers for a little more than a half season with a weak Rams’ offense.

Davis could serve as the backup to McCown while Manziel gets healthy, and if he master’s the offensive scheme could definitely challange McCown for starting snaps. With two healthy quarterbacks, he would be a candidate to remain with the team on their practice squad is he isn’t claimed before passing through waivers.

The once undrafted Davis is in his third NFL season, after working his way up the roster for the Rams. His experience starting eight games makes him an ideal candidate for the depth chart, even if he is not active for games with a healthy Manziel.

He will have to pass his physical, and hope the team still has a roster spot open for him tomorrow.