The Buffalo Bills first big signing of the offseason started with cornerback Vontae Davis. Once playing like a shutdown corner at one point in his career has had his setbacks with injuries in recent years. In a declining Colts defense, Davis suffered a groin injury that placed him on the injured reserved list that led to his release from the Colts.
A back-to-back Pro Bowl player in 2014 and 2015, Davis had his best years with the Colts in that two-year span with 8 interceptions, 43 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles, and 88 tackles. He started to decline a bit in 2016 before hitting the injury bug in 2017. The last two years of his contract under the Colts were not productive.
He’ll look to get back on track with the Bills and he is in a great position for a bounce back season with the guys he has around him. This secondary has established itself as the strongest unit on the Bills defense, and they just upgraded at corner with Davis, if he stays healthy. He’ll be paired with Tre’Davious White in hopes of becoming a lockdown duo for the season.
With the uprising of Jordan Poyer and White, having both Micah Hyde and Davis should benefit them seeing as how Hyde and Davis have had success in the league while Poyer finally broke through and White is just getting started. If Davis can manage to stay away from injury, this secondary could once again lead the defense as well as establish themselves as a potential top NFL secondary as well.
Going for a ‘prove it’ deal with the Bills, the bar is set for Davis. With his leadership abilities and numbers he has already put up, a lot will be expected out of him. He has become apart of the process that Sean McDermott is trying to build and the entire defense is on a short leash based off of last season.
2018 Season Projections:
40 tackles, 2 interceptions, 20 passes defended, 2 forced fumbles.
Brandon Ray is a Managing Editor for Full Press Coverage who covers the NFL and the Buffalo Bills. Follow him on Twitter at @brandon_ray79 and @FPC_Bills for Bills coverage.
