Undrafted Davis now key cog on defense
At this time last year, Tae Davis was just an undrafted free agent from an FCS school scrapping to make the Giants’ 53-man roster out of training camp.
Now the speedy inside linebacker is getting reps with the first team in practice and vying for a starting spot. Davis, however, does not plan on that change in status coming with a change in mindset.
“It’s been a wild ride, but it’s definitely not finished yet,” Davis said Friday. “The feeling is still the same from last year — that nervous, excited feeling, just wanting to prove what you can do on the field and prove you still deserve a spot on this team. … It’s never secure.”
Davis’ athleticism and experience as a former college safety have set him apart in the competition for the starting spot next to Alec Ogletree in the middle of the Giants’ defense, which has been an area of concern. There is also B.J. Goodson, who started 13 games last year, but has missed time in camp with a hamstring injury, and rookie Ryan Connelly, who has also quietly been rotating in for first-team snaps.
But Davis’ ability to cover running backs in the passing game and to tackle in space is intriguing to the Giants’ coaching staff.
“You wish you still had it, but the time of the guy that sits in and runs downhill and takes on lead fullbacks 40 percent of the game or 50 percent of the game on first or second down, that just doesn’t happen anymore,” defensive coordinator James Bettcher said. “The ability to tackle and move in space, that’s one of Tae’s strong suits that he can do, and he does it pretty well.”
Last summer, Davis was seen as a long shot to make the Giants after going undrafted out of Tennessee-Chattanooga. But he showed enough to make the 53-man roster out of camp, and after being inactive the first two weeks of the season, made his debut on special teams. By Week 7, he was getting game reps at linebacker, and in Week 11, he earned his first start against the Buccaneers. Davis finished the season with 33 tackles, four quarterback hits, two sacks and two tackles for loss.
Davis felt he was stronger in pass coverage last year, and he spent time in the offseason focusing on run-stopping to make himself more well-rounded. He also entered training camp with more confidence, which was a bigger battle for him last season than anything physically.
“It was believing that, as a guy with my story, that you belonged out there with guys you’ve grown up watching, guys you see on TV,” Davis said. “Getting those starts and being able to be successful in them really helped out a lot and kind of jump-started me going into the offseason.”
The play on which Davis knew he belonged and his “Welcome to the NFL” moment came in the same game last fall. It was Week 8 against the Redskins at MetLife Stadium and Davis still remembers those moments vividly.
The first came on a drive just before halftime, when he deflected a third-down pass by Alex Smith to force a punt.
But late in the fourth quarter, with just over three minutes left, Adrian Peterson took a handoff and Davis got pushed off his line to the running back by a Redskins lineman. Sixty-four yards later, Peterson was in the end zone, ruining the Giants’ comeback chances.
That play still sticks with Davis more than anything. He wants to keep it in the back of his mind, helping him fight for everything again during training camp, no matter his status on the roster.
“In this game, I want to become a perfectionist,” Davis said. “No one’s perfect, but that doesn’t mean you can’t always strive for
it.”