Originally joining the Redskins as a sixth-round pick in this year's NFL Draft, Robert Davis has been called up to the active roster after a three-month stint on the practice squad.
At a position the team felt it was loaded at throughout the offseason, the Washington Redskins knew they'd have to keep at least a few of their wide receivers off the initial 53-man roster. It's a reality all 32 NFL teams face, but a spot Washington was ready to face with hopes of returning at least a few players down the road.
In September when the Redskins cut the roster down, rookie Robert Davis was among the seven wide receivers that were waived. Despite his potential to land on another active roster, Davis cleared waivers before being signed to the practice squad where he'd spend the next 13 weeks.
On Monday, though, Davis received the call he had been waiting more than three months for: he had been signed to the active roster.
"It was definitely exciting," Davis said. "I mean, anytime that you can take one step closer to your dream and be able to see the hard work that you put in coming to fruition is definitely exciting."
As a member of the practice squad, Davis' job was to learn under his veteran teammates while serving duties on the scout team mimicking some of the wide receivers the Redskins' defense would be facing on a weekly basis.
The task allowed him to really key in on some of the fundamentals, both to show that he can be a long-term piece for the offense while ensuring the defense was ready for elite wideouts.
"Just paying attention to detail," Davis said of what he's learned so far this season. "That was one thing coming out of college that I really had to work on was my route running and paying attention to those type of things. I've been able to learn from the receivers that we have here. They taught me a lot, along with [wide receivers coach] Ike Hilliard.
On Saturday, April 29, 2017, the Washington Redskins selected wide receiver Robert Davis with the 209th overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
"It's definitely been a big learning curve, one that I've embraced and one that I'm excited about continually."
While it is unclear how much Davis will play this Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers or over the final four games overall, the 6-foot-3, 217 pounder was a standout wide receiver during his four seasons at Georgia State.
In 49 career games, the 22-year-old recorded 222 receptions for 3,391 yards – both school records – and 17 touchdowns.
His 3,391 career receiving yards rank second all-time in Sun Belt Conference history behind only T.Y. Hilton.
Davis showcased those skills throughout the offseason and into training camp, but he also took pride in his run blocking abilities along with his special teams play, both receiving praise from head coach Jay Gruden.
If active, he understands that standout performances in both those areas could go a long way into him climbing the depth chart and earning more targets in the passing game.
"I can definitely bring physicality to the squad as far as run blocking and being a presence on special teams," Davis said. "That's one thing that I feel like I can make an immediate impact on right now. That's my big focus right now."
