Report: Former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Sean Davis visiting Buffalo Bills

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Buffalo Bills are hosting former Pittsburgh Steelers safety Sean Davis on a free agent visit. Davis was Pittsburgh’s second-round choice in the 2016 NFL Draft.

Davis, 27, spent time at both safety and slot corner during his rookie season in 2016. He made nine starts that year, totaling 70 tackles, 1.5 sacks, five pass breakups, and one interception. He played all 16 games. In 2017, Davis became a full-time starter for Pittsburgh, and he also had his best professional season. He made 92 tackles, adding a sack, eight pass breakups, three interceptions, seven tackles for loss, and a forced fumble. He started 15 more games in 2018 and was similarly effective.

Davis entered the 2019 season slated to start again, but he was placed on injured reserve on September 17 thanks to a a shoulder injury. Two days later, Pittsburgh traded for Minkah Fitzpatrick, which led to the Steelers choosing not to re-sign Davis that offseason. He signed a one-year deal with the Washington Football Team, but he was released prior to the start of the regular season. Davis returned to Pittsburgh on a one-year deal.

While Davis hasn’t been a full-time starter since 2018, he does have 42 regular season starts on his professional resume. Buffalo’s veteran backup safety for the last few years has been Dean Marlowe, who has been effective when called upon. Marlowe and Davis are essentially the same size—both men are 6’1”, and Marlowe (208 lbs) outweighs Davis (202 lbs) by a mere six pounds—but Davis has a much stronger pedigree.

Davis was also active on special teams, playing nearly 50 percent of Pittsburgh’s snaps in the kicking game in 2020.