Mike Davis not a lock to make the Ravens roster this summer

The Baltimore Ravens agreed to terms on a one-year deal with veteran running back Mike Davis on Tuesday adding an experienced name to the team’s running back room.

While the Ravens weren’t necessarily desperate for running back depth after adding Tyler Badie in the sixth round of the 2022 NFL Draft, it’s never a bad thing to sign an experienced player to the roster.

Davis has seven years of NFL experience under his belt and would play an important depth role behind the returning J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards in 2022, especially with both recovering from major injuries.

That is, of course, if he actually makes the final roster, which is not a guarantee.

Ravens running back Mike Davis will be fighting for a roster spot this summer

The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec reported on Tuesday that it’s far from a lock that Davis makes the 53-man roster and that it might depend on the readiness of Dobbins and Edwards.

Signing Davis helps the Ravens in the short term as he provides the team with another body going into minicamp and OTAs. The Ravens don’t expect Dobbins and Edwards to be ready until training camp at the earliest, so the team needed more depth for the time being.

Davis provides just that, but he’s also someone who could make an impact this season.

The 29-year-old most recently played for the Atlanta Falcons last season where he rushed for 503 yards and three touchdowns on 138 carries in 17 games. An average of just 3.6 yards per carry isn’t exactly promising, but his greatest value over the last few years has come in the passing game.

Davis is an accomplished receiving back with a whopping 103 receptions over the last two seasons combined with Atlanta and Carolina. He’s an experienced blocker and someone who could quite easily fill that third-down role if necessary.

There will be no shortage of competition, however. Badie could push for an early role, Justice Hill will be back, the returning Nate McCrary will hope to make some noise, and even undrafted rookie Ricky Person will be looking to stick.

Mike Davis is far from a roster lock, but he is much-needed short-term depth who could make an impact this season. To do so, he’ll have to prove his worth this summer.