Ryan Davis Sr. (born February 24, 1989) is an
American football defensive end who is a
free agent. He was signed by the
Jacksonville Jaguars as an
undrafted free agent in 2012. He played
college football
College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States.
Unlike most ...
at
Bethune-Cookman.
Early years
Davis attended
Howard W. Blake High School, where he was a two-way player at
tight end and
defensive end. He received All-Conference and Hillsborough County All-Star honors as a senior.
He also competed in
basketball at
small forward. As a senior, he was named second-team All-County, Western Conference Player of the Year and Hillsborough County Slam Dunk Champion.
College career
Davis accepted a football scholarship from
Bethune–Cookman University. As a freshman, he appeared in 7 games as a backup, tallying 9 tackles (one for loss) and one fumble recovery for a touchdown.
As a sophomore, he started at
defensive end, posting 55 tackles (fourth on the team) 3.5 sacks (led the team), 9 tackles for loss (third on the team) and 2 forced fumbles (led the team). He had game-saving tackle at the goal line on fourth down, that helped preserve a win against
Savannah State University. He made 9 tackles (7 solo) in a 9–7 win against
Delaware State University. He had 7 tackles against
Winston-Salem State University.
As a junior, he started in 10 out of 12 games, totaling 57 tackles (third on the team), 6.5 sacks (led the team), 8 quarterback pressures, 18 tackles for loss (led the team), one interception and 2 forced fumbles.
As a senior, he posted 65 tackles (40 solo), 12 sacks (led conference), 17 quarterback hurries, 21.5 tackles for loss (second in the conference), 8 forced fumbles (led the team), 2 fumble recoveries and one
safety. He finished his college career with 190 tackles, 22 sacks, 49.5 tackles for loss and 12 forced fumbles.
Professional career
Jacksonville Jaguars
2012 season
Davis was signed as an
undrafted free agent by the
Jacksonville Jaguars after the
2012 NFL Draft
The 2012 NFL draft was the 77th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players for their rosters. The draft, which is officially called the "NFL Player Selection Meeting", was held ...
on April 29. On August 31, he was waived and later signed to the team's
practice squad
In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...
one day later on September 1.
On October 5, he was promoted to the active roster. He was released on October 23 and re-signed to the practice squad the next day. He was again released from the practice squad on November 21 and re-signed to the practice squad five days later on November 26. He was promoted to the active roster on December 31.
2013 season
On August 30, 2013, he was released and signed to the team's practice squad on September 1. He was promoted to the active roster on November 15.
During the season, Davis had two game ending plays against the
Houston Texans
The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division, and play their home ga ...
. When the Jaguars played the Texans in Houston in November, Davis made a game ending interception. In a December victory in Jacksonville, Davis sacked Houston quarterback
Matt Schaub while the Texans did not have any timeouts remaining and the clock ran out. He totaled 7 tackles (2 for loss), one sack, one interception and one pass defensed.
2014 season
Davis was active for all 16 games as part of the
defensive line rotation. He posted 17 tackles (7 for loss), 6.5 sacks, 2 passes defensed, 2 forced fumbles, 2 fumble recoveries and 3
special teams tackles.
2015 season
He appeared in 14 games as a backup at
defensive end, making 7 tackles (5 for loss), 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery
2016 season
In training camp, he was moved to the
strongside linebacker behind
Dan Skuta. On September 3, 2016, he was released by the Jaguars, who were going younger at the
defensive end position with the additions of
Dante Fowler and
Yannick Ngakoue.
Dallas Cowboys
On September 13, 2016, Davis was signed as a
free agent by the
Dallas Cowboys, who were looking to improve their depth at the
defensive end position with the suspensions to
DeMarcus Lawrence and
Randy Gregory
Randy Gregory (born November 23, 1992) is an American football outside linebacker for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Nebraska, and was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the second round of ...
.
He was declared inactive for the second game of the season and missed two additional contests with a strained hamstring. In the fifth game against the
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...
, his role in the
defensive line rotation increased after passing
defensive end Benson Mayowa on the depth chart, but because he didn't have an impact pressuring the quarterback in the following contests, Mayowa regained his spot in the twelfth game against the
Minnesota Vikings. Davis was declared inactive in three games, before being activated against the
Detroit Lions
The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...
, but suffered a knee injury and did not play many snaps. He was placed on the
injured reserve list on December 28. He finished the season with 3 tackles (one for loss), 6 quarterback pressures and one fumble recovery. He was released on March 9, 2017.
Buffalo Bills
On March 13, 2017, Davis signed with the
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional American football team based in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The Bills compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. ...
, who were changing to a
4-3 defense under new
head coach Sean McDermott. He appeared in 16 games playing multiple positions along the
defensive line as a backup, while recording 26 tackles (5 for loss), 3 sacks (tied for second on the team) and one forced fumble.
On March 26, 2018, Davis was released by the Bills, after the team signed
defensive ends
Trent Murphy and
Owa Odighizuwa.
Los Angeles Rams
On July 24, 2018, Davis was signed by the
Los Angeles Rams
The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...
, with the intention of playing him at
outside linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
in a
3-4 defense. He was placed on injured reserve on August 31. He was released with an injury settlement on September 4.
Orlando Apollos (AAF)
In 2019, Davis joined the
Orlando Apollos of the
Alliance of American Football
The Alliance of American Football (AAF) was a professional American football minor league. The AAF consisted of eight centrally owned and operated teams in the southern and western United States, seven of which were located in metropolitan are ...
as an
outside linebacker
Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...
in a
3-4 defense. In the season opener against the
Atlanta Legends
The Atlanta Legends were a professional American football franchise based in Atlanta, Georgia, and one of the eight members of the Alliance of American Football (AAF), which played one season from February 2019 to April 2019. They played their h ...
, Davis recorded the first sack in Apollos franchise history during the 40–6 victory.
In the Week 2 game against the
San Antonio Commanders, he suffered a bruise to his spinal area that pulled him out of the game. He was placed on the
injured reserve list on March 5. The league ceased operations in April. He appeared in 2 games at
defensive end, making 4 tackles and one sack.
Toronto Argonauts (CFL)
On December 20, 2019, Davis was signed by the
Toronto Argonauts of the
Canadian Football League, with the intention of playing him at
defensive end. After the CFL canceled the
2020 season due to the
COVID-19 pandemic, Davis chose to opt-out of his contract with the Argonauts on August 28, 2020.
References
External links
Bethune–Cookman Wildcats bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Davis, Ryan
1989 births
Living people
American football defensive ends
Players of American football from Tampa, Florida
Players of Canadian football from Tampa, Florida
Bethune–Cookman Wildcats football players
Jacksonville Jaguars players
Dallas Cowboys players
Buffalo Bills players
Orlando Apollos players
Toronto Argonauts players