FOXBOROUGH, Mass. – The New England Patriots announced today that they have signed LB Jahlani Tavai (ja-LAN-EE TAH-vay-ya) to the 53-man roster from the practice squad. In addition, the Patriots have signed veteran DB Sean Davis to the practice squad.
Tavai, 25, was signed by New England to the practice squad on Sept. 2, 2021. He originally entered the NFL as a second-round draft pick (43rd overall) by Detroit out of Hawaii in the 2019 NFL Draft. The 6-foot-2, 246-pounder played in 31 games with 16 starts over the last two seasons with Detroit and registered 113 total tackles, two sacks, one interception, two passes defensed, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery. Tavai went to training camp with Detroit this past summer and was released on Aug. 31. He was elevated by New England to the active roster for the games against New Orleans and Tampa Bay and saw limited action on defense and special teams.
Davis, 27, is in his sixth NFL season and has spent time with Pittsburgh (2016-20), Indianapolis (2021) and Cincinnati (2021). The 6-foot-1, 202-pounder originally entered the NFL as a second-round draft pick (58th overall) by Pittsburgh in the 2016 NFL Draft out of Maryland. He signed with Washington as an unrestricted free agent on March 18, 2020 and was released on Sept. 5. Davis was re-signed the next day by Pittsburgh where he spent the 2020 season. Davis signed with Indianapolis in the 2021 offseason and began the year on the practice squad before being elevated to the active roster and playing in one game for the Colts. After being released by Indianapolis, he was signed by Cincinnati to the practice squad and played in two games after being elevated to the active roster. Davis was released by Cincinnati from the practice squad on Oct. 5.
Overall, Davis has played in 67 NFL games with 42 starts and has registered 253 total tackles, 2½ sacks, five interceptions, 21 passes defensed, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery. He has also played in five postseason games with four starts and has accumulated 28 total tackles and one sack.
