The New England Patriots continue to revamp a special teams unit which uncharacteristically, hey mightily struggled in 2022.
The Pats have agreed to terms with free agent Cody Davis on a one-year contract, as reported Saturday by former teammate and recent retiree Devin McCourty.
Despite being officially listed as a safety, has been one of the team’s most valuable special teamers; second only to team captain Matthew Slater. The nine-year NFL veteran, joined the NFL in 2013 as an undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech. Following stops with the Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars, he joined the Patriots as a free agent prior to the 2020 season. He led the team with 15 special teams tackles in 2021.
Davis suffered a non-contact knee injury while covering a kickoff return in the first half of New England's Week 6 win over the Cleveland Browns, ending his season. Prior to his injury, Davis had played in six games with the Pats in 2022, earning six special teams tackles on 106 snaps. In addition to his coverage duties, he also served as New England’s personal punt protector. In Davis’ absence, the role was given to safety Adrian Phillips.
New England continued its third-phase overhaul on Friday by signing former Detroit Lions special teamer Chris Board. Board and the Patriots agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $6.7 million. The team hosted him on a free agent visit to Gillette Stadium on Thursday. The arrival of Board, in conjunction with Davis’ return, is expected to bolster the special teams' unit, which was ranked No. 32 in the league last season by Football Outsiders' DVOA metric.
Davis is set to join Board, Slater, Nick Folk. long-snapper Joe Cardona, and coverage specialists Damarcus Mitchell, Brenden Schooler and Raleigh Webb on the team's depth chart for 2023.
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