Fansided

TE Fred Davis reinstated by NFL

By Russell Johnson

September 29, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis (83) walks the sideline before the game against the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum. The Redskins defeated the Raiders 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
September 29, 2013; Oakland, CA, USA; Washington Redskins tight end Fred Davis (83) walks the sideline before the game against the Oakland Raiders at O.co Coliseum. The Redskins defeated the Raiders 24-14. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports /
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Former Redskins tight end Fred Davis has been reinstated by the NFL.

Tight end Fred Davis, formerly of the Washington Redskins, has been reinstated by the NFL after a yearlong suspension for his violation of the substance abuse policy. Fred Davis is now a free agent and eligible to sign with any teams have an interest in him. Fred Davis was drafted in the second round by the Jim Zorn led Redskins in 2008. His career has been marred by off the field issues, but mostly by underwhelming performance on the field.

Off the field, Davis has had some issues. In 2011 Davis was accused of assaulting a woman by pouring his drink on her. A judge awarded nearly $20,000 to the woman for the pain and suffering that Fred Davis had caused her. That case aside, the day after Davis was suspended by the NFL he was charged with a DUI. Then only five months later, during his year of suspension, a warrant was issued for Davis’ arrest for assaulting his ex-girlfriend. Davis surrendered himself to the police. The assault charges were later dropped as there was insufficient evidence to take the case forward.

In his rookie year, Davis caught three passes for a total of 27 yards. He was little utilized and little played. In 2009 he saw much more significant playing time. He had 48 catches on 76 targets for 509 yards and 6 touchdowns. This was the second best year of Davis’ career. In 2010 he caught 21 passes on 29 targets for 316 receiving yards and 3 touchdowns. 2011 was Davis’ career year. He earned Redskins Offensive Player of the Year honors after catching 59 balls on 88 targets for 796 yards and 3 touchdowns. That also says something about the quality of the Redskins offense in 2011. In 2012 Davis tore his Achilles before the halfway point of the season and missed out on benefiting from RG3’s rookie campaign. In the 2013 season Davis caught 7 balls on 17 targets for 70 yards.

The question now is whether or not there will be any team’s interested in giving the 29-year-old tight end another chance on an NFL roster. There must certainly be TE needy teams that will be willing to give Fred Davis a shot to compete and make their rosters, but where he lands or if he makes any impact on the team that decides to take a chance on him is another question. Everyone loves a nice redemption story though, don’t they?

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