Former Browns WR up for Sportsman of the Year Award

Davion Davis, a wide receiver who spent time with the Cleveland Browns during the preseason in 2021, has been nominated for the USFL Sportsman of the Year award.

Currently a member of the Birmingham Stallions, Davis is one of eight players nominated for the award, which recognizes players who were “primarily engaged in youth outreach but also invested time supporting other community causes ranging from thanking military veterans and law enforcement, working in food banks, raising awareness for pet adoption, and more,” according to Fox Sports.

The recipient of the award will be announced on July 30 in Canton the day before the USFL Championship Game.

The Browns signed Davis in late July of 2021 a day after placing wide receiver Derrick Willies on the reserve/retired list. The 5-foot-11 and 190-pound Davis originally signed with the Minnesota Vikings in 2019 as an undrafted free agent out of Sam Houston State University. He struggled to make an impact with the Vikings, appearing in just two games without making a reception.

Davis finished the 2019 season on Minnesota’s practice squad and then signed a Reserve/Future contract during the 2020 offseason. He went to training camp with the Vikings that summer but did not make the roster.

He was out of football in 2020 and played with the St. Louis Blues of The Spring League in 2021 before finding his way to Cleveland.

Davis was off to a nice start in preseason that summer as he had seven receptions for 101 yards and a touchdown in the first two preseason games. But then he was hit with a suspension by the NFL for the first two games of the 2021 regular season for a violation of the league’s policy on substance abuse.

The Browns ultimately waived Davis after he completed his suspension and he spent parts of the 2021 and 2022 seasons on the practice squad of the Houston Texans.

This season with the Stallions, Davis had 39 receptions for 575 yards and four touchdown receptions.