It's no secret the Atlanta Falcons are in need of an impact running back in 2021, and they believe they might've found one by shopping in a rival store. The club is reportedly set to add Mike Davis to the roster on a two-year deal worth $5.5 million, per NFL insider Josina Anderson. The contract includes $3 million fully guaranteed in Year 1, and financially gives him an early leg up in potentially being the top dog in the RB room this coming season -- keeping in mind the NFL draft is also on the calendar. Davis joins the Falcons after spending his previous two seasons with the Carolina Panthers, so the move certainly won't please anyone in Charlotte.
But, for his part, Davis is ecstatic.
"Let's go!" he tweeted immediately following news of him heading to North Georgia.
There's added reason for the 28-year-old to be elated, in that he's actually from Atlanta. Davis was born in the city and went to Stephenson High School in Stone Mountain, Georgia -- a suburb only minutes northeast of downtown Atlanta -- before heading to South Carolina to make a name for himself at the collegiate level. He entered the NFL as the fourth-round pick for the San Francisco 49ers in 2015, and has since also spent time with the Seattle Seahawks (his first inter-division move) before joining the Chicago Bears to begin the 2019 season -- finishing that year with the Panthers.
He'll now take his talents to the RB-needy Falcons, who haven't re-signed previous homecoming king Todd Gurley to a new deal after adding him on a one-year contract in 2019. It's Davis who'll get the nod for now, as the club continues to determine who'll be take the bulk of the handoffs from Matt Ryan going forward. Davis ran for 642 yards and had 1,015 total yards from scrimmage in his final year in Carolina, along with eight touchdowns, so he's definitely bringing something to the table for owner Arthur Blank and the new coaching regime.
The Falcons also pulled the trigger on a defensive move in signing linebacker Barkevious Mingo to a one-year deal worth $1.25 million, per Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle. A former sixth-overall pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2013, the uber-athletic Mingo has spent time at the NFL level with a variety of clubs before now landing with the Falcons, including the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. Most recently, he suited up for the Chicago Bears in 2020, and looks to add some depth to the Falcons pass rush.
He logged 2.5 sacks and 35 combined tackles last season in the Windy City, but the journeyman will have to prove himself in training camp to earn a home in Atlanta.
