PFT SPECIAL BULLETIN

POSTED 10:34 p.m. EDT, August 20, 2006

DAVIS HEADING TO PHILLY

A team source tells us that running back Stephen Davis will visit with the Eagles on Monday, possibly as a precursor to signing a free-agent deal.

Davis passed a physical last week with Dr. James Andrews of Birmingham, Alabama. A letter was then sent to every team explaining that Davis is healthy and available.

The Eagles currently have injury issues at the tailback position. Brian Westbrook has a bad foot. Correll Buckhalter is working his way back from two lost seasons; he managed a 48-yard run on Thursday night against the Ravens.

Other teams that could be interested in Davis include the Redskins. Davis was drafted by Washington in 1996 and spent seven seasons in D.C. Coach Steve Spurrier gave up on him after the 2002 season, but Davis then had his best season ever in 2003 with the Panthers, as Carolina landed in the Super Bowl. Davis was injured for most of the 2004 season, and had 12 touchdowns in 13 games before landing in IR in 2005.

Another possible scenario would be for Davis to sign with a new team after the first week of the regular season, since if he is on any team's roster for the opening weekend his entire salary would be fully guaranteed.

 

Wow. Damn. Good luck, Stephen, but its going to be painful if the Eagles and Panthers lock horns in the playoffs....

 

If any teams were that interested, wouldn't they have brought Davis in for a physical of their own? Having one and sending out faxes to every team makes it seem like the interest is on his end, not theirs.

 

Source: Birds meeting with Stephen DavisBy LES BOWEN
[email protected]
Free-agent running back Stephen Davis arrived in Philadelphia late last night and will meet with Eagles officials today, a team source said.

The Eagles' running-back situation has been unsettled, with Brian Westbrook suffering a sprained foot after just six carries in the first preseason game, Ryan Moats and Bruce Perry coping with injuries and fumble problems, and Correll Buckhalter still facing long odds as he attempts to recover from missing three of the last four seasons to knee injuries.

The Birds' interest in Davis is a little unexpected, in that he is 32 and didn't show much last season for the Carolina Panthers - 549 yards on 180 carries, 3.1 yards per carry. He did score 12 touchdowns for the Panthers, who released him after the season.

While Davis is unlikely to reprise any of his four 1,000-yard seasons, he might be able to pitch in here and there, as Dorsey Levens has done for previous Eagles teams. At 6-foot, 230, Davis would provide the size many fans worry the Eagles are missing in their backfield, particularly if Buckhalter isn't a factor.

One complication might be that the Birds apparently aren't the only team interested. In the wake of the shoulder injury suffered by Clinton Portis, Davis apparently has been contacted by the Washington Redskins, for whom he played his first seven NFL seasons. The complicated terms of his release by Carolina - Davis was "released injured," which means he gets some of the money he was owed for this season, unless he signs with another team and gets cut - probably mean Davis is looking for something more substantial than a 1-year, nonguaranteed veteran minimum contract. He would probably want incentives written into the deal.

Still, the team source said the Eagles' interest in Davis is substantial. His best season came in 2003, the year the Panthers upset the Eagles in the NFC Championship Game. Davis rumbled for 1,444 yards on 318 carries that year. Davis was very familiar to Birds fans even before that, as the Redskins' fulcrum for several years. In 1999, he gained 1,405 yards for Washington, on 290 carries (4.8-yard average) and ran for an amazing 17 touchdowns.

 

There goes our short yardage back

 

I'm waiting to hear what Lou has to say