Vikings Work Out Another Veteran RB
Last weekend, the Minnesota Vikings curiously made the decision to work out veteran free agent RB Kareem Hunt less than 24 hours after the conclusion of their first preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks.
This led many to believe that the Vikings may not quite be satisfied with how their RB room performed during this first exhibition game. Kene Nwangwu left the game with an injury while DeWayne McBride underwhelmed as the new kick returner and averaged just 2.5 yards per carry on six attempts.
The speculations only grew louder on Tuesday as another report surfaced of the Vikings working out a second free agent RB in the past few days. This time it is Mike Davis, who most recently played for the Baltimore Ravens in 2022. During that 2022 season, he put together 8 carries for 18 yards.
Vikings Work Out Veteran RB Mike Davis
It was Tom Pelissero of The NFL Network who initially reported to work out, tweeting, “Meanwhile, the #Vikings continued to look at veteran running backs, working out Mike Davis.”
Davis, 30, was a 2015 Draft pick of the San Francisco 49ers being taken in the fourth round with the 126th overall selection. Over two seasons in San Francisco, he would appear in 14 games and record 54 carries for 108 yards and a touchdown.
Following his stint in San Francisco, Davis went to the Seattle Seahawks in 2017. Davis would start six games for the Seahawks that season, recording 68 carries for 240 yards. It was also the first time he truly showed some chops as a receiver too, catching 15 passes for 131 more yards.
After his success in 2017 with Seattle, Davis grew into an even bigger role with the team in 2018, playing 15 games for the Seahawks and putting together 112 carries for 514 yards and 4 TDs. He managed 34 receptions for an additional 214 yards and another TD as well.
Since that 2018 season, Davis has been a journeyman across the NFL serving stints with the Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers, Atlanta Falcons, and Baltimore Ravens. His best season came during 2020 with the Panthers where he broke 1000 yards from scrimmage for the first and only time in his career (to this point, at least) by recording 642 rushing yards and 373 receiving yards. He had a combined 8 rushing and receiving touchdowns over the course of the year as well.
In all, over the course of his first eight seasons in the NFL, Davis has played in 87 games, including 30 starts, and he has put together 558 carries for 2052 yards and 14 TDs. He has also added 171 receptions for an additional 1066 yards and 4 more TDs.
If the Vikings were to sign Davis, he would become the sixth running back in that room (seventh if we count FB C.J. Ham) joining Alexander Mattison, Ty Chandler, Nwangwu, McBride, and Abram Smith. It would be very likely that someone from this group would get released if Davis joined the team.
Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.