By Alex Barth, 985TheSportsHub.com
With Byron Cowart on the COVID reserve list and Beau Allen still on IR, the Patriots have brought in some help for the interior of the defensive line.
The team signed defensive tackle Carl Davis off the Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad Wednesday. It’s not yet known if he’ll pass through COVID protocols in time to be active on Sunday against Denver.
At 6-foot-5, 320 pounds, Davis will add another nose tackle to a roster that has struggled at times against the run this season. He’s also been a regular special teams contributor in his past stops around the league.
Davis entered the league as a third-round pick out of Iowa in 2015 by the Baltimore Ravens. He spent his first three seasons with the club, starting 12 games. An ankle injury cost him his entire 2016 season.
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Released as a part of final roster cuts in 2018, he joined the Browns, where he played a minimal role. His 2019 season consisted of stops with seven teams, getting time in three games while spending most of the year on various practice squads.
Back in February, the 28-year-old Davis was handed a four game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substances policy. That held him out of the first four games of the 2020 season. Jacksonville activated him on Wednesday, waiving him and signing him to the practice squad. A day later, Bill Belichick swooped in and grabbed him.
Because he is coming off of a suspension, the Patriots are granted a roster exemption, according to the league’s transaction wire. That will likely expire by Sunday.
Davis joins Adam Butler and Lawrence guy as the Patriots healthy defensive tackles. He also reunites with center James Ferentz – the two were teammates in college.