Corey Davis

Jets RB Breece Hall Sustains ACL Tear

October 24th, 2022 at 12:08pm CST by Rory Parks

OCTOBER 24: An MRI has confirmed the Jets’ fears. Hall did, in fact, tear his ACL, Rapoport tweets. The rookie RB also has a meniscus injury, adding further to the lengthy recovery process he now faces to be able to return in 2023.

OCTOBER 23: The 5-2 Jets are one of the league’s biggest surprises through the first seven weeks of the 2022 season, but the club may have been dealt a brutal blow in Sunday’s victory over the Broncos. Rookie running back Breece Hall was carted off the field during the game, and head coach Robert Saleh said in his postgame presser that early tests indicate a serious knee injury (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, the team fears that Hall tore his ACL, which would obviously end his season.

Gang Green’s record is largely a product of its defense, which is a top-10 unit in terms of both yards allowed and points allowed per game. One of the bright spots on offense, though, has been Hall, the No. 36 overall pick of this year’s draft. The Iowa State product received single-digit rushing attempts in each of the Jets’ first three games of the season, and he showed enough to earn more playing time in recent weeks. From Weeks 4 to 6, Hall carried the ball 55 times for 279 yards (good for a 5.07 YPC rate) and three touchdowns. In Week 5, he added two receptions for 100 yards.

Hall was enjoying a similarly productive outing against Denver, ripping off a 62-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Unfortunately, he suffered the knee injury shortly thereafter, and it appears that one of the most exciting rookies in the league may be sidelined until 2023.

2021 fourth-rounder Michael Carter posted a respectable 4.3 YPC average in his first professional season, though his presence was clearly not enough to deter the Jets from selecting Hall this year. Carter is simply not as explosive as his younger counterpart, and his 3.8 YPC rate in 2022 is suboptimal. Nonetheless, he will be asked to pick up the slack in Hall’s absence, with Ty Johnson also likely to see an increase in playing time. Johnson, a sixth-round pick of the Lions in 2019, has yet to get a carry this season and has just one catch for four yards. New York also has Zonovan Knight on its practice squad.

Cimini points out that versatile O-lineman Alijah Vera-Tucker, who is now playing right tackle, and wide receiver Corey Davis also exited the Broncos game early. Vera-Tucker sustained an elbow injury, while Davis went down with a knee ailment. Both players will undergo further testing on Monday, though Davis may have dodged a bullet; he was cleared to return to the game, but the coaching staff exercised caution by keeping him off the field.

AFC East Rumors: Bills, Jets, Douglas, Jackson

March 6th, 2022 at 5:33pm CST by Ely Allen

On Friday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul made comments that all but guaranteed that an agreement for a new stadium for the Bills will be made soon, according to Mike Florio of NBC Sports.

Highmark Stadium (previously Rich Stadium, Ralph Wilson Stadium, and New Era Field) has been the home of the Bills since 1973. The Bills’ current lease on Highmark expires in 2023 and the franchise has been pushing with many government entities to build them a shiny, new stadium. The team has used the very real looming threat that there are plenty of other markets in the country that can support an NFL franchise.

Hochul commented on that threat saying, “That’s why we’re negotiating very intently, to make sure we have the right outcome for this community.” The new stadium will partially be funded by the public to the tune of about $850MM. The Governor claims that a deal will be done by April 1, in time for the annual budget.

Here are a few other rumors from around the AFC East, starting with a couple of notes that keep us in the Empire State:

The Jets are planning to use this offseason to add some weapons to the roster for quarterback Zach Wilson. They currently have Corey Davis and Elijah Moore sitting atop the depth chart. They would love to bring back Braxton Berrios as a fourth-receiver/gadget player and they haven’t yet given up on Denzel Mims. Still, New York will have ample opportunity to add a potential No. 1 receiver to the roster, according to SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano. The free agent market is home to many household names like Chris Godwin, Allen Robinson, Mike Williams, and, potentially, Amari Cooper. Players like Calvin Ridley and Cole Beasley have been rumored to be available via trade. The 2022 NFL Draft is also so rich in talented receivers that many believe some first round talent could fall to the second round where the Jets have two high picks, if they don’t choose to take a top prospect like Garrett Wilson or Drake London with the 10th overall pick.
That being said, Vacchiano also reports that, despite their vast spending ability, general manager Joe Douglas has been preaching the maintenance of financial flexibility. Though the Jets rank in the Top 5 in the NFL in salary cap space, Douglas rejected the notion that their $50-60MM in cap space will be dedicated to big spending in free agency. Douglas acknowledged free agency as just one of “a lot of different tools to improve your roster” and pointed to the Bengals as an example of responsible free agent spending. “I think Cincy did great in free agency last year,” he said. “They didn’t blow the doors off in terms of signing super high-priced guys. They brought in guys who fit exactly what they wanted to do.”
According to Mike Giardi of NFL Network, Patriots’ cornerback JC Jackson is likely headed for free agency with some lofty expectations. While Jackson still likes the Patriots, money is a big factor for the 26-year-old. Giardi claims that Jackson is strictly seeking compensation similar to Jalen Ramsey. New England won’t bring that money to the table and it sounds like they won’t be utilizing their franchise tag on Jackson, either. That information could lead to a tag and trade situation if other teams aren’t willing to shell out for Jackson in free agency.

Jets’ Corey Davis Done For Year

December 6th, 2021 at 2:53pm CST by Zachary Links

Corey Davis‘ season is over. On Monday, Jets head coach Robert Saleh told reporters the wide receiver needs core muscle surgery that will shelve him for the rest of the year (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).

The silver lining is that core muscle surgery usually calls for 8-10 weeks of recovery. In other words, it’s nothing like an ACL rehab program, so Davis should be good to go for early offseason activities.

Davis played through the pain for several weeks, sat out for the Jets’ Week 12 win over the Texans, and returned yesterday to play 25 snaps against the Eagles. Unfortunately, he aggravated his groin injury to the point where he’ll have to go under the knife.

Davis’ season will end with 34 grabs for 492 yards and four touchdowns across nine games. Extrapolated for a full 17-game slate, that’s roughly in line with what the Jets were hoping to see. He’ll look to stay healthy next season in Year 2 of his three-year, $37.5MM deal.

In the meantime, the Jets will work with Elijah Moore, Keelan Cole, Jamison Crowder, and Denzel Mims as their top wide receivers. The 3-9 Jets, sans Davis, will host the Saints on Sunday.

AFC East Notes: Davis, McCourty, Pats, Bills

May 31st, 2021 at 5:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Corey Davis will be expected to play a critical role for the Jets this season, but he will need some time off first. The fifth-year wide receiver suffered a shoulder injury during Jets OTAs, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Davis landed on his shoulder after attempting to make a leaping catch. This is believed to be a minor shoulder strain, though Garafolo adds that Dr. James Andrews examined the former top-five pick. Davis, who signed this year’s second-most lucrative wideout contract (three years, $37.5MM), is not expected to require surgery.

Here is the latest from the AFC East:

The Dolphins added Jason McCourty early this month. The veteran cornerback is expected to play a key depth role in Miami, and Brian Flores said (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald) some work at safety is possible for the three-year Patriots corner starter. McCourty saw most of his snaps at corner in 2020 but did work as a safety on 75 plays. The Dolphins let Bobby McCain go this offseason but have ex-Pats corner Eric Rowe and second-rounder Jevon Holland at safety. As for McCourty’s compensation, Jackson adds the 33-year-old defender signed for the veteran minimum. His base salary is nearly fully guaranteed, with OverTheCap noting McCourty is locked into $987K of that $1.1MM figure.
Joe Thuney‘s departure for Kansas City will create a vacancy at New England’s left guard spot for the first time in many years. The Patriots‘ first-string left guard since 2016, Thuney has yet to miss a game during his career. The Pats, however, may have located a gem in 2020 sixth-round pick Michael Onwenu. The Michigan product started 16 games and played more on the edge than at guard as a rookie. But it looks like the Pats will shift Onwenu to a full-time guard role, with ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss noting he lined up as their first-string left guard in OTAs. The Pats traded for Trent Brown and are expected to use him at right tackle, Onwenu’s primary 2020 position. Pro Football Focus graded Onwenu as a top-10 tackle last season.
Brown and Isaiah Wynn are set to be the Pats’ starting tackles, and Reiss adds Justin Herron looks like the top candidate to be their swing backup. Drafted 13 spots ahead of Onwenu in last year’s sixth round, Herron started six games and played 351 snaps as a rookie. PFF graded Herron 56th overall at tackle in 2020. Considering Wynn’s injury history, the Pats’ swing-tackle role is a pivotal gig.
Long snappers have a rigid salary structure. Entering last week, a seven-way tie existed for the league’s highest paid deep snapper. But the Bills appear to have broken said tie. Buffalo made Reid Ferguson the highest-paid snap specialist, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Though it is not known how much more than the previous snapper-high figure ($1.2MM) the Bills are giving Ferguson, Pelissero adds that the fifth-year snapper will receive a $675K signing bonus.

Jets To Sign WR Corey Davis

March 15th, 2021 at 6:53pm CST by Ben Levine

While the Jets future at quarterback may be uncertain, the team is still adding pieces to their offense. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that New York is adding wideout Corey Davis. The former first-rounder will get a three-year, $37.5MM deal, including $27MM in guaranteed money.

The former fifth-overall pick overcame a disappointing rookie campaign and put together a solid three-year stretch with the Titans. The 26-year-old had a career year in 2020, hauling in 65 receptions for 984 yards and five touchdowns. Davis also had three touchdowns in six career playoff games with Tennessee. Back in February, Titans GM Jon Robinson made it sound like the team was prepared to lose the wideout in free agency.

The Jets entered the offseason with a solid core at wideout. Leading receiver Jamison Crowder is still under contract, and the team is also still rostering notables like Braxton Berrios (37 receptions) and 2020 second-round pick Denzel Mims.

Davis has secured the largest contract of the day among wide receivers. The Patriots committed $26MM to Nelson Agholor and $22.5MM to Kendrick Bourne, while Jamal Agnew got a deal that could be worth up to $21MM from the Jaguars.

Titans GM On Isaiah Wilson, Offseason

February 16th, 2021 at 5:48pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We already talked about how Titans GM Jon Robinson confirmed the team had made contact with J.J. Watt‘s reps this morning, but there were some more interesting nuggets to come out of Robinson’s press conference.

For starters, Robinson talked about perhaps the biggest mistake of the 2020 NFL Draft, Isaiah Wilson. Tennessee drafted the offensive tackle 29th overall last April, but he played only four snaps as a rookie. After getting drafted, Wilson was arrested for DUI, received a trespass warning for attending a party at Tennessee State and twice landed on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list. He was suspended for Week 13 for a violation of team rules and then was placed on the reserve/NFI list in December shortly after finally making his NFL debut.

Robinson revealed on Tuesday that he hasn’t spoken with Wilson since placing him on the NFI list, via Jim Wyatt of the team’s official site. Robinson said others had been in some degree of contact with the first-rounder, but he didn’t sound particularly optimistic about his future with the team. “He is going to have to make a determination on if he wants to do everything necessary to play pro football,” Robinson said bluntly.

Wilson only just turned 22 last week so he’s got time to figure it out, but it sure sounds like the Titans won’t be counting on the Georgia product for 2021. Meanwhile, Robinson seemed to indicate there’s a good chance receiver Corey Davis and tight end Jonnu Smith could walk in free agency.

Robinson said he had the same conversation with those two guys that he did with tackle Jack Conklin last year, saying the team “will make competitive offer, but wishes them the best if they opt for free agency,” Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets. Conklin, of course, left for the Browns in free agency. Davis, the fifth overall pick of the 2017 draft, is set to be a free agent since Robinson elected to decline his fifth-year option last May. Davis responded with a resurgent season, racking up a career-high 984 yards in only 14 games. It’ll be very interesting to see what kind of offers he gets on the open market.

Finally, Robinson acknowledged that pass-rushing help was needed in one form or another. “It’s something that’s high on our list – to find guys, whatever position it is defensively – that can affect the quarterback,” he said. Tennessee ranked 30th this past year with only 19 sacks. That would certainly explain the interest in Watt.

Titans Activate Corey Davis From Reserve/COVID-19 List

October 19th, 2020 at 3:36pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We just heard the Titans aren’t going to be harshly punished for any protocol violations, and now the team is getting more good news on the COVID-19 front. Tennessee has activated receiver Corey Davis from the reserve/COVID-19 list, they announced Monday.

Taylor Lewan was as expected placed on injured reserve to free up the roster spot following his torn ACL. It’s a big boost for the Titans, as with Davis on the shelf the team was lacking pass-catchers beyond A.J. Brown. Especially so with tight end Jonnu Smith now dealing with a minor ankle injury. The fifth overall pick of the 2017 draft, Davis has never quite lived up to his draft status, but he’s still a solid receiver.

He took a big step back last year when he only had 601 yards, but it was looking like 2020 could be somewhat of a breakout for him early on. Through the first three games he had 15 catches for 206 yards and a touchdown before COVID forced him to miss the past two contests.

The Titans declined his fifth-year option back in May, making the rest of this season extremely important for his financial future as he’ll now be an unrestricted free agent at the end of the year. The outbreak in Tennessee was scary, but fortunately things are trending in the right direction and appear to be almost back to normal.

Titans Place Corey Davis On Reserve/COVID-19 List

October 7th, 2020 at 3:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

Earlier Wednesday, reports indicated the Titans had two new COVID-19 positives. One of those appears to have been fourth-year wide receiver Corey Davis.

The Titans placed Davis on their reserve/COVID-19 list Wednesday afternoon. Tennessee now has 12 players on that list. The team still cannot re-enter its facility for practice, putting its Sunday game against Buffalo in doubt.

The league, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter), has launched an investigation into the Titans. They have seen a coronavirus outbreak spread among their roster and are believed to have conducted an illegal offsite workout. Some around the league believe the league is set to levy a “historic” punishment against the team to set an example, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. In addition to levying six-figure fines against teams for their coaches not complying with mask protocols, the NFL has threatened to strip teams of draft picks. That would seem to be the baseline for a “historic” punishment.

As of Wednesday afternoon, Davis joins fellow wideout Adam Humphries, defensive line starters Jeffery Simmons and DaQuan Jones, second-round cornerback Kristian Fulton, linebacker Kamalei Correa, long snapper Beau Brinkley, first-round tackle Isaiah Wilson, running back Khari Blasingame and practice squad players Cameron Batson, Greg Mabin and Tommy Hudson.

If the Titans-Bills game does happen this week — which is still the league’s plan — Tennessee could be severely shorthanded at wide receiver. No. 1 target A.J. Brown has not played since Week 1, but the team’s virtual injury report listed the second-year player as going through a pseudo-limited practice. This marks a pivotal year for Davis, after the Titans did not pick up his fifth-year option in May. Through three games, the former top-five pick has 15 receptions for 206 yards and a touchdown.

Make-Or-Break Year: Titans WR Corey Davis

June 10th, 2020 at 2:19pm CST by Rory Parks

We recently profiled Bengals receiver John Ross as a make-or-break player as he enters the final year of his rookie deal, and today we’ll look at one of his draftmates, Titans WR Corey Davis. Like Ross, Davis saw his fifth-year option declined earlier this year, which puts him on track for unrestricted free agency following the 2020 season.

Davis, the No. 5 overall pick of the 2017 draft, entered the league after a dominant collegiate career with Western Michigan. Over his sophomore to senior seasons, Davis averaged 88 catches for 1,448 receiving yards and 15 TDs, and while his level of competition in the MAC was not what it might have been in a Power Five conference, that type of production is tough to ignore. And when it comes packaged in a 6-3, 209-lb physical specimen, it’s easy to see why Tennessee pulled the trigger.

Unfortunately for Davis and the Titans, the 25-year-old has been unable to replicate that production in the pros. The all-time NCAA leader in receiving yards has just 1,867 yards in his first three NFL seasons, and after scoring 52 total TDs through the air in college – good for second-most in NCAA history – Davis has found paydirt just six times with Tennessee.

Though he has never suffered a major injury, a variety of smaller ailments may have prevented him from reaching his potential. He was unable to participate in drills during the 2017 scouting combine due to an ankle injury, and his rookie season was hampered by a hamstring injury. He managed to stay healthy in 2018, so it’s perhaps unsurprising that he posted career highs in receptions (65) yards (891) and receiving TDs (four). He led the team in all three categories, and though his catch rate was not particularly impressive – those 65 catches came on 112 targets – he appeared to be poised for a breakout.

Last season, however, Davis battled hip issues and saw rookie A.J. Brown emerge as the team’s leading receiver. Davis finished with just 43 catches for 601 yards and two scores, so Tennessee really had no choice but to decline the fifth-year option. That option would have been guaranteed for injury only but would have been worth nearly $16MM, so the Titans could not take that chance.

Given his pedigree, Davis will almost surely get another NFL opportunity in 2021 even if he continues to underwhelm in 2020. But a disappointing effort this season will likely lead to a one-year, prove-it deal next year, whereas a strong campaign could secure him a multi-year payday with a great deal of guaranteed money.

Offensive coordinator Arthur Smith recently sung Davis’ praises, saying, “[t]here were some huge explosive plays (last year) that Corey was the unsung hero to. He’s a big part of this offense and I think he’ll take another step.”

A full season with the resurgent Ryan Tannehill could help, though Davis did not perform any better last season with Tannehill under center than he did with Marcus Mariota. The Titans did not select a receiver in this year’s draft, so Davis will continue to start opposite Brown, with Adam Humphries in the slot. If he’s not careful, this could be his last year as an unquestioned starter, so it will be incumbent upon him to make the most of that opportunity and start realizing all of the promise that made him a top-five pick three years ago.

Titans Notes: Henry, Davis, QB

June 8th, 2020 at 10:55am CST by Zachary Links

While speculation swirls about the Titans and a potential Jadeveon Clowney signing, here’s the latest on the players who are actually on Tennessee’s roster:

Last year, Derrick Henry led the league in both carries (303) and rushing yards (1,540). This year, he’ll likely be looking at a reduced workload. Tennessee’s offense will benefit “if more guys are touching the ball,” Titans offensive coordinator Arthur Smith says (Twitter link via Michael Giardi of NFL.com). If a significant number of those touches figure to go to third-round rookie Darrynton Evans, Henry’s future earnings could be impacted. Unless the Titans and Derrick Henry come to terms on an extension between now and the July 15 deadline, the running back will be on course for free agency in 2021. It’s worth mentioning that a lighter workload may actually benefit Henry as teams tend to fret about RB odometers.
Corey Davis‘ future with the Titans is also in limbo, but Smith tells the team website that he likes what he’s seen out of the wide receiver thus far. “There were some huge explosive plays (last year) that Corey was the unsung hero to,” Smith said. “He’s a big part of this offense and I think he’ll take another step. I feel very confident in Corey, A.J. and Adam (Humphries) and that group.” The Titans, as expected, turned down Davis’ fifth-year option in May. Through three pro seasons, Davis has just six touchdowns to his credit.
There’s been talk of the Titans adding a veteran backup quarterback, but Smith suggested that the QB2 job will go to either Logan Woodside or Cole McDonald, depending on how the camp competition unfolds.

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