If Washington Redskins head coach Mike Shanahan has it his way, Fred Davis will remain in Washington. When the team re-signed Logan Paulsen, it looked like Davis' days as a Redskin were officially numbered. Interest level for the tight end has been low, but it looks like Washington may now be attempting to keep him on the team. Shanahan said that the team and Davis' agents are negotiating a new contract.
Davis is coming off an Achilles tear. After playing just seven games last season, the injury caused him to land on the injured reserve list and sit out the rest of the year. The Redskins were reportedly holding off on re-signing Davis in order to see how his recovery process is going. He has been medically cleared to begin running and other football drills. Despite the injury, Davis had a productive seven games last year, catching 24 passes for 325 yards. Davis has spent his entire five-season career with the Redskins, where he has racked up 155 receptions for 1,973 yards and 12 touchdowns.
Paulsen took on a much bigger role with team while filling in for the injured Davis. He gave the team confidence at the tight end position. Shanahan still feels like Davis is worth pursuing, especially if he remains on the market for a few more days.
The Cleveland Browns are the other team showing major interest in Davis. While the Redskins are waiting to see how Davis is recovering, the Browns do not have that luxury and might try and sign Davis quickly. Browns head coach Rob Chudzinski is fond of the tight end position as he is a former tight end himself. They recently signed Gary Barnidge but are rumored to not be done adding depth to the position.
The Browns are in a position to offer Davis more money which could be the deciding factor. The Redskins are currently in a bad cap space situation with little flexibility financially. Davis claims that money will not play into his decision on where to play next year, but if the Browns offer him the better deal, he will likely jump ship.
