Stephen Davis

An old warhorse with 1,725 career carries, Davis tore cartilage in his right knee during a practice in last season’s second week and only managed 16 more carries the rest of the way. Davis had microfracture surgery on his knee in November with the hopes of being ready for training camp, but there’s no definite timetable for his return, and there’s some chance that his career is over. Assuming Davis returns relatively intact, he’s a bruising between-the-tackles runner with a good burst to the hole and the ability to cut back and use his blockers. He likely would share carries with DeShaun Foster, though rookie Eric Shelton could also be in the mix as well.

You would think that Davis’ well-publicized comeback season would have made his owners happy, but they were again disappointed with his pedestrian TD total. It’s time we all realize that Davis just isn’t a good goal-line runner. Last year, he was 7-for-28 in converting his opportunities inside the opponents’ 10-yard line. The prior two years combined he was 12-for-55. Want more evidence of Davis’ short-yardage struggles? The Panthers were a poor 19th in converting these runs into first downs during ’03. Think of Davis as the anti-Marcus Allen. Davis also doesn’t generate many receiving yards, turned 30 this spring and is on pace to register his 2,000th carry in ’04. Those are all bad fantasy indicators. Davis owners need to reach a little to ensure the talented DeShaun Foster is on their roster, as Davis should be expected to miss at least a couple of starts. He’s ranked this high only because of his better-than-expected 2003 performance and the Panthers solid offensive line and skill players.

Davis may never again be a superstar, but he's now headed to a team that's perfectly suited for him. The Panthers are a strong defensive club that wants to run a conservative, power-running offense. Carolina doesn't have a dominant line by any means, but it's improving, and Davis will once again have the peace of mind knowing that he'll get 20 to 30 carries a game, no matter what. Spurrier usually was looking for a reason to prematurely junk the running game last fall, but you can be sure the Panthers will be more patient. Look for a mild revival from Davis this season.