Vontae Davis is a respected cornerback in the NFL and has signed a 1-Year contract with the Buffalo Bills. The veteran was weighing options with the Bills, Dolphins, Bears, and Oakland. He inevitably chose Buffalo and brings with him many positive things to the team. Adding a solid veteran like Davis to the secondary was important for Buffalo and they were able to get the job done quickly. This is one less thing that the team will have to worry about this offseason. While the Bills do need to get younger there is nothing wrong with adding a veteran to a position group that is on the younger side.
6 Reasons Vontae Davis is Good for Buffalo
6. Makes E.J Gaines expendable
The first reason why Vontae Davis is good for Buffalo is that they don’t need to overpay to keep E.J Gaines. E.J Gaines is an unrestricted free agent this offseason. The Bills were going to have to pay top dollar to keep him out of enemy hands. With the signing of Davis, the Bills have a solid corner to pair with Tre’ White in the secondary so Gaines could be let go if he wants too much. Vontae Davis has also shown to be a much more consistent option than Gaines in terms of health. Davis has played in at least 14 games in 4 of his last 5 seasons. Gaines in his 3 NFL seasons has only done that once.
5. Solid Health throughout his career
Continuing on with the last point from the E.J Gaines argument. Davis has had pretty solid health throughout his career. In 9 seasons, Davis has only missed significant time in 2 of those seasons. This is a much better average than E.J Gaines or other cornerbacks that are on the market. Davis is coming off of his most unhealthy season. Following his last “unhealthy” season he only missed 3 games in the next 4 seasons.
4. Playoff experience
Vontae Davis has only made the playoffs 3 times in 9 seasons. However, this is 2 more times than the Bills have in 18 seasons. All 3 times have also come within the last 5 seasons. He played these seasons with the Colts and was able to watch a younger quarterback in Andrew Luck take a team to the playoffs three years in a row. There is a chance he will do the same in Buffalo.
3. Elite Talent
Everything else aside it cannot be forgotten that Vontae Davis a very talented player. He has been a cornerstone for the Colts defense for 6 seasons and is constantly in the conversation for top NFL cornerbacks. The 2017-18 season was the only season in Davis’ career where he didn’t record an interception. He averages 14 passes defended per season along with 40 tackles. He made the pro bowl in 2014 and 2015 where he showed why he is one of the league’s most elite cornerbacks.
2. Perfect Partner for Tre’ White
Tre’ White likes to play left cornerback so signing a right sided corner in Davis is perfect. Also, Vontae Davis is very good in press coverage, which is something he can teach Tre about. He can also learn from White about better zone coverage and the two can work together to become one of the league’s best cornerback pairs. In addition to that, Vontae Davis will be able to keep the young corner in line in case he was to ever get in any trouble such as a run in with Gronk next season.
1. Veteran Leadership
One of the most basic things Davis can bring to the Bills is Veteran Leadership. While it is basic it is important. Kyle Williams brings veteran leadership to the Bills and he is a big influence on the team as a whole. Vontae can be the same thing. He was a leader for the Colts for many seasons. Davis can help young players like White, Poyer, and Hyde get to the next level. He can lead a secondary without being the main spotlight of the group. Come playoff time Davis’ leadership will shine and as a result of all of this, the Bills defense might be on of the top defenses in the league in 2018.
Check out the five games you should most look forward to for Davis and the Bills here!
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