Steelers should sign recently cut safety Sean Davis

Former Steelers safety Sean Davis was recently cut by the Washington Football Team. Should Pittsburgh bring him back for the 2020 season?

The 2016 draft class wasn’t exactly a hit for the Pittsburgh Steelers. While they did land Javon Hargrave in the third round, their first-round pick was wasted on cornerback Artie Burns. Sean Davis was also a high draft choice that year.

Coming out of Maryland in 2016, Davis tested as a terrific athlete – earning a 4.46 40-yard dash and a blazing 3.97-second 3-cone drill, according to Mockdraftable. He had experience as both a safety and outside cornerback in college, and the Steelers were drawn to his versatility.

For Pittsburgh, Davis began his career playing some slot corner and strong safety. After two years and 4 interceptions at the strong safety position, he found a home at free safety in 2018 after Mike Mitchell moved on from the team and Pittsburgh drafted Terrell Edmunds.

Davis had a relatively strong year in his third sesaon and was entering the final year of his rookie deal as he was hoping to receive a big contract. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury in Week 1 last year left Davis on IR.

Davis tried to revamp his career with Washington this offseason, but surprisingly, he was unable to make the final 53-man roster.

Should the Steelers bring Davis back?

Clearly, bringing Sean Davis back doesn’t mean that he would be fighting for a starting role, but the Steelers could get him cheap, as teams were forced to cut their rosters down to 53 players. While Davis wasn’t a special player for the team, he could provide a boost to their backup situation.

Currently, the Steelers have players like Jordan Dangerfield and Marcus Allen backing up the safety position. However, Dangerfield has been a special teams player for most of his career, and Allen has virtually no experience on defense at the NFL level.

On the other hand, Davis has earned 41 starts in 48 career games played. He’s played both free safety and strong safety for Pittsburgh, and he could backup either position. While players like Dangerfield and Allen are most comfortable in the box, Davis has the ability to play deep safety – something he did all of 2018 for Pittsburgh.

If Minkah Fitzpatrick were to go down for any length of time, Davis would be the only backup on the team I would feel comfortable about playing this role. With his starting experience all over Pittsburgh’s defense, he could be the primary backup to both Fitzpatrick and Terrell Edmunds, as well as earn some looks in dime packages.

I’m not claiming that Sean Davis is anything more than a backup safety in the NFL. But if the Steelers can sure up their depth in an area that is concerningly thin, and be able to do so with a former player who knows the system, this is a risk-free scenario. I would give the former second-round pick another chance as a primary backup.