NFL Rumors: Dallas Cowboys Signing Ryan Davis To Help At Defensive End


Pass rushing help is always a welcomed addition to an NFL team, especially when they cannot pressure the quarterback. According to ESPN, the Dallas Cowboys are signing Ryan Davis. Hard to believe, but the former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end is now the most accomplished pass rusher on the Cowboys roster.

Ryan Davis is a former Bethune-Cookman Wildcats star. Most of the Dallas Cowboys fan base have probably never heard of the small school in Daytona Beach, Florida, whose football stadium can barely hold 10,000 fans. There are not a lot of NFL fans who are aware of the existence of Davis, either.

Back in 2012, Ryan Davis was not chosen during the NFL Draft. However, he was impressive enough that the Jacksonville Jaguars decided to give him a chance. Davis knew that he would have to work himself from the ground up. That is what he did when he joined the practice squad.

During his four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars, Ryan Davis played 38 games for the team. None of those were starts, as Davis was viewed as a backup. However, the Florida native was deemed to be solid enough by the Jaguars coaching staff that he was placed in the rotation on defense.

Ryan Davis was able to record 11.5 sacks during his entire tenure with the Jacksonville Jaguars. That number normally does not stand out in the NFL because there are players who can accrue that many sacks in a single season. Seven players had at least a dozen sacks in 2015.

Prior to the signing of Ryan Davis, the active player on the roster with the most sacks during their NFL career was Orlando Scandrick. He has 10.5 of them. Scandrick, however, is a corner back that is accustomed to being utilized at the nickel back position. Defensive backs should not lead in sacks.

Demarcus Lawrence [Photo by Otto Greule/Getty Images]

Thanks to the combination of injuries and suspensions, Ryan Davis has a very good chance at getting on the field for the Dallas Cowboys sooner than later. Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli will try to simplify the responsibilities for Davis so that he can focus solely on attacking the quarterback.

The Dallas Cowboys are without Demarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory, who were supposed to be the two starting defensive ends for the team, for the first couple of weeks because both are suspended for drugs. Lawrence should be back on the field in a couple of weeks, while Gregory may have some issues to deal with before management trusts him again.

On Tuesday afternoon, the Dallas Cowboys worked out 14 players to see if there were roster additions that might help them against the Washington Redskins next weekend. Ryan Davis was one of three defensive ends that were given a look. The other two were Shelby Harris and Ryan Robinson.

Randy Gregory [Photo by Harry How/Getty Images]

AJ Francis and Leon Orr also worked out for the Dallas Cowboys. They are naturally defensive tackles. That means that head coach Jason Garrett feels that his entire defensive line needs an upgrade. Their interior rush defense was exposed by the New York Giants running backs and offensive line.

If the current season does not go as expected because of the defensive line, then Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones could consider spending valuable resources on this particular unit. Jones spent three top draft picks and now has one of the best offensive lines in the entire NFL.

Ryan Davis is unlikely to be the savior for the Dallas Cowboys. The team isn’t expecting him to do that. The Cowboys simply need some warm bodies that can attempt to battle offensive lines and try to get to the quarterbacks occasionally.

[Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images]

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