Davion Davis Personifies the Browns Ability To Find Long-Term Success

Saturday night saw the Cleveland Browns beat the Jacksonville Jaguars 23 – 13. It was a game that more about individual performances than it was about getting a big win as a team. 

Make no mistake, the Browns played as a team. With a majority of starters sitting this one out, the second and third teamers often resembled starters in both rhythm and performance. It was a showing that should make people comfortable with the depth on this team and the ability of the next man to step up at most any position.

The WR Room

One position that simply oozes with talent and depth for the Browns is wide receiver. The Browns boast on paper an embarrassment of riches in this room. It is very likely that players will be cut who will see significant playing time for other teams.

Davion Davis was signed by the Browns on July 31. It was a transaction that left many of us asking two questions:

Do the Browns need another receiver?

Who Is Davion Davis?

That was two weeks ago. It seemed very unlikely to the casual fan that Davis would get a chance to have an impact in a room loaded with talent.

Who Is Davion Davis?

Davis entered Saturday’s game without an NFL reception. He went undrafted from Sam Houston State in 2019, but was signed to Minnesota’s practice squad that season. Kevin Stefanski apparently didn’t forget about him. Davis was invited in for minicamp and was finally given a roster spot when Derrick Willies retired in July. 

Many fans may have forgotten about the transaction when Davis took the field wearing No. 18 Saturday night. They are still talking about what he did on the field. His four receptions for 56 yards and a touchdown don’t truly tell the story. The touchdown catch was a leaping grab that will be found on highlight reels for some time. He looked like a seasoned veteran out there even though he had only been in camp for about a week. 

The Browns have a series of great problems to have. 

There will be tough cuts coming up on the offensive and defensive lines, at linebacker, defensive back and maybe most of all at wide receiver. Davion Davis faces an uphill battle to make this roster. It’s unlikely that the Browns will carry more than six wide receivers. Odell Beckham, Jr, Jarvis Landry, Donovan Peoples Jones, Anthony Schwartz and Rashard Higgins are all likely to be on the 53-man roster. KhaDarel Hodge, JoJo Natson, Demetric Felton and now Davis are all vying for spots as well.

Something has to give.

Prior to last season, the Browns and their fans had goals of winning games and hoping for the playoffs. That has changed. The true goal now is not a Super Bowl run, it is long-term competitiveness. This is where Davion Davis comes in. We didn’t know who he was a couple weeks ago. Many GMs in the league may not have known much about him either. Kevin Stefanski and Andrew Berry knew; just like they’ve known about so many other players that comprise the depth that make up the uber talented Browns roster. There should be no fear concerning the ability of this management team to find and sign talent. 

Davion Davis will play this season. We just don’t know where. The Browns aren’t worried about hiding players and trying to sneak them through to the practice squad. They will always find players. They always have more options with the roster than it seems, too. There is no guarantee that Rashard Higgins and KhaDarel Hodge will be on the final 53-man roster. Sometimes the business of football supersedes the fans desires and expectations. We must trust what this talented regime does in getting down to the final roster. Afterall, they haven’t really done anything except make this team better.

As Browns fans we’ll continue to cheer for all the players. No matter who makes this final roster, we are in for an exciting season!