Free agent cornerback Vontae Davis has met with the San Francisco 49ers and Oakland Raiders about upgrading their secondaries.
A person familiar with Davis’ plans says he met with the Raiders on Wednesday after meeting with 49ers the previous day. The person spoke on condition of anonymity because the meetings were not made public. Davis has also reportedly met with Cleveland and Buffalo
Davis is a two-time Pro Bowler who is on the open market after being released by Indianapolis last November. Because he was cut Adidas Dustin Brown Jersey , Davis can sign with a team immediately instead of waiting for the start of the new league year next month.
Article continues below ... Davis lost his starting job midway through last season and then did not travel with the team for a game in Houston for ”non-injury” reasons. Davis was then cut a few days later.
Davis said before the release that he had been hampered all season by a torn groin suffered in the third preseason game but the Colts said they were unaware of lingering problems from the injury.
Opposing quarterbacks had a 79.5 passer rating when targeting Davis in 2015-16, according to SportRadar. But he struggled last season, allowing a 105.7 rating.
Davis spent his first three seasons with Miami after being a first-round pick in 2009. He was traded to the Colts before the 2012 season and was voted to the Pro Bowl in 2014 and `15.
Davis has 22 career interceptions with 97 passes defensed and two sacks.
The Raiders and 49ers are both in need of upgrades at cornerback. San Francisco could lose starter Dontae Johnson in free agency next month after having traded Rashard Robinson during the season. The only cornerbacks under contract who played more than a handful of snaps last season are 2017 third-round pick Ahkello Witherspoon and slot cornerback K’Waun Williams.
Oakland released starter David Amerson earlier this month and could also cut starter Sean Smith in order to create more salary cap room. Slot cornerback TJ Carrie is eligible to be a free agent, leaving last year’s first-round pick Gareon Conley as the only projected starter currently under contract. C0nley played just two games as a rookie because of injuries.
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LOS ANGELES — The Pittsburgh Pirates headed north by bus Sunday evening to see if the roller-coaster ride will continue.
Fresh off a series victory at San Diego, capped by a 7-5 victory Sunday, the Pirates are now in Los Angeles for the first of three games Monday, having won four of their last six games.
That winning run came after a five-game losing streak. The five games before that? The Pirates won four of them.
The Dodgers have been a bit steadier of late Adidas Jonathan Quick Jersey , going 17-9 in June to keep pace with the first-place Arizona Diamondbacks in the National League West. But the end of June was a bit of a struggle as the Dodgers lost four of their last five before the calendar flipped. They opened July with a 6-4 win over the Colorado Rockies on Sunday.
Not only did the Dodgers’ offense take off in June, to the tune of 55 home runs to set a franchise record for a month, the pitching staff got healthy again … literally.
Alex Wood (4-5, 4.00 ERA) will take the mound Monday, looking and feeling much better after nagging leg cramps early in the year.
Wood went seven innings against the Chicago Cubs in his last outing Wednesday, his longest start since his season debut on March 30 when he worked eight innings against the San Francisco Giants.
An All-Star for the first time last season, Wood is once again starting to look like the pitcher who can rise to the occasion on a nightly basis.
“I’m still looking for consistency out of my sinker Evander Kane Sharks Jersey , but the breaking ball was a lot better,” Wood told reporters after his most recent start. “Overall, it was pretty good.”
The Dodgers also have Clayton Kershaw back recently from a lower back injury and Rich Hill returned from a blister on his left middle finger. Both left-handers will face the Pirates this week.
Pittsburgh announced Sunday that Nick Kingham (2-3, 3.82) will start the series opener at Dodger Stadium. He will take the spot of Chad Kuhl, who is on the DL with a forearm strain.
The Pirates (40-43) know that getting some length on their current winning ways can get them to .500 soon, possibly by the All-Star break that starts in two weeks.
“We’re starting to show a little bit of resiliency here the last week or so,” Pirates infielder Josh Harrison said Adidas Eric Staal Jersey , according to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. “A team that (is) not making any excuses, which is refreshing because at the end of the day we know what we have to do and that’s come to show up every day.
“It’s been some ups and downs, but every team goes through ups and downs, and a lot of guys here are riding that wave of knowing that any day can be that day that we turn it around.”
Wood is 2-2 with a 2.86 ERA in eight career games (seven starts) against the Pirates. He has not faced Pittsburgh since last season. Kingham, a rookie, has not pitched against the Dodgers in any of his first six appearances.