Patriots free agency profile: New regime could decide Cody Davis’ future

Davis will hit unrestricted free agency for the second straight year.

The New England Patriots are already in the middle of a franchise-altering offseason. They have a new head coach, restructured their front office, and are expected to overhaul their roster from the top down.

Free agency will be a key part of this process. And while adding external players to the mix will undoubtably happen, there are also quite a few in-house free agents to be taken care of. In total, 24 are headed toward the open market this spring and in need of a new contract.

Among those 24 is specialist Cody Davis, the next player in our free agency profile series.

Hard facts

Name: Cody Davis

Position: Specialist/Safety

Opening day age: 35 (6/6/1989)

Size: 6’2”, 205 lbs

Jersey number: 22

Free agency status: Unrestricted free agent

Experience

After a successful collegiate career at Texas Tech, Davis was signed as an undrafted free agent by the St. Louis Rams in 2013. He then re-signed with the Rams on a two-year contract in 2016 and played 26 percent of the team’s defensive snaps — while recording his first interception — and 90 percent of their special teams snaps.

The following year, Davis’ usage flip flopped despite dealing with a thigh injury that cost him a handful of games. He played 59 percent of the teams defensive snaps and a career-low 53 percent of the snaps on special teams. That led to him piling up career-highs in tackles (22) and pass deflections (4).

Despite his increased defensive role, Davis departed LA in free agency and signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars for two seasons. It was there he took on a pure specialists role as he played just 78 defensive snaps in two seasons.

That role continued when he signed with New England in 2020. Davis managed just one defensive snap that season as he became a fixture on the Patriots’ teams units. His first season was highlighted with a blocked field goal in Week 13 that Devin McCourty returned for a 44-yard touchdown.

His work earned him a two-year deal with the team in 2021 where he remained a pure specialist. He maintained that role the following season until he suffered a season-ending knee injury and was placed on injured reserve in October.

Davis re-signed with the Patriots on a one-year contract extension the next offseason but started the year on the reserve/PUP list. He was then activated in October.

2023 review

Stats: 11 games | 202 special teams snaps (69 percent) | 5 total tackles, 1 fumble recovery, 1 touchdown, 0 penalties

Season recap: After beginning the year on the PUP list as he worked his way back from last season’s serious knee injury, Davis returned to action in Week 7. He retook his main role as personnel protector on punt team and was also a fixture on five other units in the kicking game.

That was until Week 15 when Davis saw his role decrease as he was removed from the kick return team. The veteran still made a splash play the following week in Denver, as he scored his first career touchdown, recovering a Marvin Mims fumble forced by Marte Mapu, in a win on Christmas Eve. He then tallied three tackles over the final two weeks of the season.

Free agency preview

What is his contract history? Beginning his career as an undrafted free agent in St. Louis, Davis was under a three-year contract with the team. He eventually resigned with the then Los Angeles Rams for two years. Hitting free agency in 2018, Davis signed a two-year deal with Jacksonville that was worth $5.25 million. He then came to New England on a one-year deal in 2020 and re-upped the following offseason on a two-year, $4.3 million deal. A free agent once again last March, Davis returned to the team on a $2.2 million deal for one season.

Which teams might be in the running? If Davis returns for his 12th NFL season, a reunion with the Los Angeles Rams organization could make sense. The Rams special teams unit ranked dead last in DVOA last season and could benefit from the veteran Davis in a young room. Other teams that ranked poorly on special teams included the Green Bay Packers, Minnesota Vikings, and Indianapolis Colts.

Why should he be expected back? The Patriots will feature a first time special teams coordinator in 2024 while long time captain Matthew Slater likely seems headed towards retirement. New England could benefit from keeping a veteran in the room which Davis would provide.

Why should he be expected to leave? Time will tell how Jerod Mayo and special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer build up the unit, but they may opt for less pure specialists on the roster. If that’s the path they take, the 35-year old Davis could be someone they move on from, especially as his with his role already began to decline at the end of last season.

What is his projected free agency outcome? Based off of how Springer’s personnel lined up in Los Angeles, it seems like the Patriots will take the route of less pure specialists on the roster moving forward. That would likely leave Davis looking elsewhere. If he does not retire, he will probably be in store for another low-money one-year deal.

What do you think about Cody Davis heading into free agency? Will the Patriots try to keep him under new leadership? Or will his former spot on the roster go to somebody else? Please head down to the comment section to discuss.