After letting his brother break his retirement and then seeing him also break the reported news that Joe Cardona was returning to New England, newly retired Devin McCourty has jumped into the breaking news game and is now reporting that the Patriots will bring back reliable special teams vet Cody Davis on a one-year pact.
Davis signed with the Patriots in 2020 and immediately became a core special teams contributor, playing in 30 of 34 games in his first two seasons with the team before an injury in 2022 held him to just six contests. Davis was a reliable veteran special teamer and his absence had a negative effect, as the Patriots' special teams group fell to 32nd in DVOA and capped off the season by allowing two kickoff return touchdowns in an ending loss to Buffalo.
The team has made a concerted effort in free agency to stabilize the special teams, bringing back veteran and emotional leader Matthew Slater and reportedly signing Chris Board, whom Bill Belichick referred to as the best special teams player in the league last season.
A bigger question that still remains is who will be punting the ball for the Pats this season after the release of Jake Bailey. There are some interesting prospects in the draft that could fit the bill.
