Like many of you, I thoroughly enjoy putting myself in the shoes of Marty Hurney and playing the part of general manager of the Carolina Panthers. When it comes to managing the salary cap I’ve spent the last two seasons looking at Mike Davis’ $3 million cap hit and concluding, “Well there’s some easy money to free up. C’mon Marty! Just cut Mike Davis already since Christian McCaffrey never leaves the field!”
I don’t mind admitting when I’m wrong. And I was wrong about Mike Davis.
Now, my error had more to do with the concept of Mike Davis as a contract versus Mike Davis as a player. When Carolina claimed him off waivers in November 2019 he came with a two-year, $6 million deal. Traditional wisdom in the NFL is that running backs are a dime a dozen, so why tie up $3 million in cap space for a backup to Christian McCaffrey, the engine of the Panthers offense who almost never leaves the field?
And in fairness to me (and any other previous Mike Davis skeptics), there was nothing in his background that indicated he was worth his cap hit. He was an unheralded 2015 fourth round pick of the San Francisco 49ers who waived him after two seasons. Davis then spent the next two years with the Seattle Seahawks and had a good 2018 campaign (514 rushing yards, 214 receiving), but not good enough for Seattle to re-sign him. He instead signed his two-year, $6 million deal with the Chicago Bears in 2019 but was unceremoniously released seven games into the season.
It was then in 2019 when the Panthers claimed him off waivers as a five-year veteran joining his fourth NFL team. In five seasons Mike Davis had produced just 914 rushing yards with a ho-hum 3.5 yards per carry. Then, in his first season in Carolina, he had two rushes for two yards...AND A $3 MILLION CAP HIT!
With as many roster holes as the Panthers had coming into 2020 and with as much dead cap the team carried (they are second in the NFL with $43.7 million in dead money), I was perplexed as to why Marty Hurney didn’t just waive Mike Davis and free up the extra $3 million to fill more pressing roster gaps. After all, entering 2020 CMC would still likely play every down, the Panthers had Reggie Bonnafon, and cheap, generic running backs are always available, stored away somewhere in a warehouse full of inexpensive options for the league’s most replaceable position.
But Marty Hurney stuck with Mike Davis and we all know the rest of the story. He has been nothing short of a revelation since CMC’s injury. In the Panthers last three games, all wins, he has rushed for 219 yards (4.9 YPC) along with 22 receptions for 132 yards. He has scored three touchdowns. He runs with power and a mean streak that makes him a load to bring down. He’s got soft hands and can hurt opposing defenses as a receiver. Basically, he’s been great and his value now far exceeds his cap hit.
Mike Davis, if you read this, please accept my apology.
When you were nothing more than a seldom-used player clogging up $3 million in cap space, I waived you a dozen times in my mind as I filled out the Panthers 2020 roster.
As a self-appointed GM I’m now looking at you this way: “I better reserve enough space to re-sign Mike Davis in 2021!”
Well done, Mike. Well done.