PHOTO | CAROLINA PANTHERS

Carolina Panthers running back Mike Davis, who was signed in November after he was cut by Chicago, is in contention to be Christian McCaffrey’s (left) primary backup.

What do you know about the Carolina Panthers running backs other than Christian McCaffrey?

Mike Davis, Trenton Cannon and Reggie Bonnafon make up the supporting cast, with the latter two expected to play primarily on special teams. Then there is Davis, whom Carolina claimed in November after Chicago waived him. He was drafted by San Francisco in the fourth round in 2015, making subsequent stops in Seattle and Chicago before landing with Carolina.

In 47 career games over five seasons, he has 247 carries for 889 yards and five touchdowns in addition to 430 receiving yards and a score. While the ups and downs of playing with four teams over five years have been taxing, Davis focuses on controlling what he can in each situation.

“I’m just trying to come in and prove that I belong,” he said.  

Part of that means being prepared to compete for playing time. For Davis, it meant losing weight in the offseason, dropping down to 220 pounds at 5-foot-9.

“We’re just here to help C-Mac whenever we go in,” Davis said of the highest paid running back in NFL history. McCaffrey signed a four-year, $64-million deal with the Panthers in the spring after consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons.

First-time NFL head coach Matt Rhule, whom the Panthers hired in January, has been very pleased with Davis’ performance in training camp, describing it as, “tremendous.” Rhule said Davis has shown the ability to run with power as well as catch the ball out of the backfield.

“He’s not one-dimensional,” Rhule said. “To me he’s another guy who becomes a threat. He’s not a ‘hey, if we need him, we can use him.’ He is a guy who we want to get in the game. We’ve been upping his reps in practice and he’s been doing a great job.”

Said Davis: “Just take every practice like it’s a game rep. I feel like everything is being evaluated. You want to win every play and show the coaches what you can do and let them know that they can trust you no matter where you’re at on the field.”

Davis, like the other Panthers, is acclimating to offensive coordinator Joe Brady’s scheme, which aims to spread the ball.

“I would describe his offense as fun,” Davis said. “I don’t want to give away our schemes or anything, but it is going to be fun to watch. He’s a great coach. He makes sure you know where you are on the field. He’s a fun guy to be around.”  

Rhule allowed his players and staff to take their kids to their first day of school, which was a first for Davis and his daughter, a third grader.

“It was my first time being able to do it, and I was pretty excited about it,” Davis said. “I really appreciate it. It’s something you don’t take lightly. It was great to see her being happy with me being there for her [on the first day] for the first time. It’s something she’ll never forget. It’s something I’ll never forget.”

Comments