James Davis Rockets up Roto Ranks
James Davis is moving up Rotoworld's Top 200s
Rotoworld avoids overrating the preseason. Players at the bottom of depth charts enter games late and face opposing second- and third-team defenses. But the case of Browns sixth-round rookie James Davis is different. With Jamal Lewis running on empty and Jerome Harrison injured for most of camp, Davis has seen work with the Browns' starters. He's faced his share of Green Bay, Detroit, and Tennessee's first-team defenders.
Davis ranks fifth in the NFL in preseason rushing (149 yards). Among running backs with 15 or more attempts, Davis leads the league in yards-per-carry average (7.8 on 19 totes), with only Mike Bell (7.7 on 15), Ahmad Bradshaw (7.2 on 19), and the Vikings' Adrian Peterson (7.2 on 25) on his tail. Meanwhile, Lewis is sitting on a 2.6 YPC average on 24 carries after turning 30 last week and averaging 3.6 YPC in 2008. As anybody who watched a Browns game last year knows, Lewis is no longer a starting-caliber NFL player.
The third exhibition is treated by coaching staffs as a serious regular-season tuneup (ask Dennis Green). Starters play into the third quarter. Cleveland had a tough opponent (Tennessee was 7th in the NFL in total defense last year, 6th against the run), which allows us to properly assess Davis' pro readiness.
Let's have a series-by-series look:
**Lewis started, but Davis played on the Browns' opening possession. On third-and-nine, Davis replaced Lewis and caught an eight-yard pass. Cleveland opted to punt (typical Eric Mangini conservativism, considering it's the preseason and the Browns were in Titans territory), but the play indicates that Davis is already the favorite for third-down snaps.
**Davis also played on Cleveland's second possession, carrying for one yard on first-and-ten. Lewis carried four times on the drive, but the mere usage of Davis with the first-team offense indicates an emerging rotation.
**On the Browns' third possession, Davis again replaced Lewis on third down and caught another eight-yard pass.
**Davis remained active on the fourth possession with back-to-back five-yard rushes.
**With Lewis playing into quarter three, Davis again replaced him on third down and caught a seven-yard pass to pick up a first. Davis broke into the Titans' secondary two plays later with a 16-yard explosion on third-and-12.
Reports of Lewis looking "slow, tentative, and decidedly unquick" have been prevalent in Browns newspapers over the last two weeks. NFL insider Mike Lombardi went so far as to suggest that Lewis could miss the final cut on Saturday. It'd be quite a mistake to admit after the Browns paid Lewis a $4 million roster bonus this offseason, but clearly the team will lean on Davis early. Already the passing-down specialist and "change of pace" to Lewis, Davis has a good shot to unseat Cleveland's incumbent by Week 4. If not sooner.
Comments
If Davis turns out to be a legit NFL RB, and also looking forward to 2010 NFL draft class and the potential of prospect CJ Spiller, you'd have to give Clemson some serious respect for the RB talent coming out of that program.
Posted by: BeastOrBust | September 3, 2009 12:11 PM
This situation reminds me of the Edge/Hightower one last year....except I predict better things for Davis...
Posted by: scooby doo | September 3, 2009 12:14 PM
actually, you'd have to blast them for how badly they blew the talent. they also had receiver aaron kelly and quarterback cullen harper, both legit nfl prospects entering the 2008 season. yet they finished 7-6. in terms of skill position talent, they had a top-ten offense.
Posted by: evan | September 3, 2009 12:17 PM
Who cares, it's the Browns...how valuable can ANY running back be on this sorry team?
Posted by: Tim | September 3, 2009 12:19 PM
Would you say he's a top 30 Back yet?
Posted by: Tyrone70 | September 3, 2009 12:19 PM
Rotoworld! You're too good! James Davis was a big sleeper of mine back before pre-season started. I'm hoping no one I draft with this weekend checks you out because his ADP is way on the rise. I always look at teams with older or possibly injury-prone RBs that drafted or brought in new blood. Tim Hightower was last year's pick for me and this year was to be James Davis. I was hoping for him in round 12-14, but now must consider him probably around 8-10.
Thanks for the great site though. Here' to another championship!
Posted by: dworf | September 3, 2009 12:20 PM
I dunno,
Lewis is built like a tank and is such a workhorse/run it up the gut kinda guy; I can't picture the Browns taking that away for a speedster who might not take that kind of punishment for too many snaps a game. Of course, as a Browns fan, I'm USED to us having NO running game, so who knows?!(I DO think that Davis is GREAT, BTW!)...
Posted by: aiiiiee | September 3, 2009 12:24 PM