FOXBOROUGH, Mass. - The New England Patriots re-signed unrestricted free agent linebacker Don Davis today. Terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
Davis, 32, is entering his 10th NFL season and has played in 120 games with 17 starts in his career, recording a total of 133 defensive tackles and 127 special teams tackles. The 6-foot-1-inch, 235-pounder first joined the Patriots as an unrestricted free agent on May 16, 2003, and has played in 31 regular-season games and six postseason games in his two seasons in New England. His two-year totals with the Patriots include 43 special teams tackles.
In 2004, Davis played in all 16 games and started the final two games of the regular season at safety. Last season, he recorded 17 defensive tackles and 19 special teams tackles, ranking third on the team in that category. In his first season in New England in 2003, Davis ranked second on the team with a career high with 24 special teams tackles
The University of Kansas product was originally signed by the New York Jets as an undrafted free agent following the 1995 NFL Draft. After spending two weeks on the Kansas City Chiefs' practice squad in 1995, he caught on with the New Orleans Saints in 1996, playing in 11 games that season.
Davis remained with the Saints until joining the Tampa Bay Buccaneers midway through the 1998 season and developed into a solid special teams contributor with the Buccaneers, recording 21 special teams tackles in both 1999 and 2000. He signed with St. Louis as an unrestricted free agent prior to the 2001 season and started 15 games for the Rams from 2001-02, recording a two-year total of 104 defensive tackles. Davis also started all three games of St. Louis' 2001 playoff run, including Super Bowl XXXVI against the Patriots.
