Atlanta released DE Chauncey Davis today.  The 6'2" 271 DE had 24 tackles and 1 sack last season.   The 28 yr old veteran from Florida State has spent his entire career with the Falcons.

Davis was likely a casualty of the razor thin margin on the cap the Falcons are currently running as he was due 3.75 mil this season. With Ray Edwards coming to town, he was even more expendable. Over his 6 year career, he has 10 sacks and 178 tackles.  The scouting report on him is as follows (courtesy of ESPN):

Davis is a situational backup that comes in to give a change of pace as an edge rusher. He is undersized and lacks the bulk and strength to hold up at the point of attack on a consistent basis, but does show good initial quickness and acceleration off the edge to pressure the pocket. He is athletic enough to drop into space in zone blitz packages, though he needs a larger repertoire of counter moves to get off blocks when linemen are able to anticipate his initial speed and get their hands on him

Do the Panthers take a chance on him and put in a claim?  He has been a durable player who is still on the upswing of his career age-wise, and his production may have dropped because the Falcons rotate their ends so much.  If Hardy and Johnson are the starters, it might be worth a shot to bring in some depth at this position, because there isnt a lot of vet experience sitting behind them on the edge.  Plus, he might be an upgrade over Everette Brown, who has (again) failed to impress during the preseason and could potentially be cut if the staff feels there are better options out there.  If Rivera and McDerm are serious about blitzing from all angles, if Davis can be had at a good price he might be a good pickup for situational edge rushes and blitz packages.

Some fans might ask that he be joined by his teammate Trey Lewis who was also released by ATL today.  Lewis is a 6'3" 312lb DT who simply has not progressed to the point of starting, and the 26 yr old Lewis was made expendable by the emergence of a healthy Peria Jerry this year.  While he might come cheap, he might not be as much of a value as Davis in terms of impact on our D line especially ahead of the waiver wire activity in the next 24 hours.