The St. Louis Rams will be placing a call to Carolina Panthers LB Thomas Davis, or his agent. Davis is not a free agent because he spent last season on the PUP list, according to a recent report. However, he is a release candidate with a $3.268 million salary this year and a lengthy injury history.
Davis was a first round pick by the Panthers in 2005, a highly touted athlete at Georgia where he played safety and rush linebacker. The Panthers, whose linebackers were then coached by Ken Flajole, now the Rams defensive coordinator, converted him to an outside linebacker. It was a successful conversion. He racked up 11 sacks and 388 tackles though four and a half seasons of play.
A former safety, Davis is strong in coverage and has the speed the Rams lacked on the weakside every since trading Will Witherspoon. The big question with Davis is health. He hurt his knee during the 2009 season, landing on IR in November that year. Last summer, it was revealed that he had an ACL tear that required surgery and forced him out all season. The Rams have plenty of experience with ACL injuries. The question for Davis is just how effective he can be after surgery, which is where the Rams experience comes in handy. If he is recovered, he could be exactly what the Rams need on the weakside and a relatively inexpensive option.
Carolina might be willing to release him given the premium of re-signing LB James Anderson...and a host of other free agents.