Here’s some help for the New Orleans Saints secondary. On Tuesday, Matt Zenitz reported for CBS Sports that the Saints were expected to sign former Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Michael Davis, though it’s unclear whether Davis is joining the 53-man roster outright or starting out on the practice squad.
Davis, 30, has started in 76 of the 122 games he’s appeared in since turning pro out of BYU back in 2017 (and, yes, he was college teammates with Taysom Hill). He also started three playoff games. Most of his time as a starter came when Saints defensive coordinator Brandon Staley was the Chargers’ head coach from 2021 to 2023, and those were also some of his most productive years in the NFL. All told, Davis has piled up 8 interceptions and 70 passes defensed, 363 tackles (282 solo, 8 tackles for loss), along with a sack, a forced fumble and a pair of recoveries.
He also has the size the Saints value at the position at a listed 6-foot-2 and 196 pounds. Davis spent last year with the Washington Commanders, primarily playing special teams and coming off the bench defensively, starting two of the 15 games he appeared in. New Orleans is a little thin in the secondary right now between starting cornerback Isaac Yiadom dealing with a hamstring injury and veteran safety Justin Reid in the concussion protocol, so it makes sense to bring in an experienced pro who knows the playbook.
What about Asante Samuel Jr.? The former L.A. second-round pick also played really well for Staley on the Chargers, and it was previously reported that he was scheduled to undergo a CT scan in October to gauge his recovery from spinal fusion surgery. If that’s already happened and the Saints are going in a different direction, it may imply that Samuel received bad news in that recheck. But we’ll see. If Davis is signing with the practice squad, that wouldn’t preclude the Saints from circling back to Samuel if he’s given medical clearance to play. They were one of his free agent visits earlier this spring and could still use the help, if for nothing else than to improve their depth.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Report: Saints reunite Brandon Staley with Chargers CB Michael Davis
