That was a gut punch. Played him out of position and then let him leave for nothing only to go back to guard and make the pro bowl 3 times.
Professional career
Arizona Cardinals
Davis was selected second overall in the
2001 NFL Draft by the
Arizona Cardinals, and was named the starter at
right guard as a rookie. The next year injuries on the
offensive line forced the team to move him to
right tackle. He was moved back to
guard in
2003.
In
2004, after
Dennis Green was named the new head coach, he was moved to
left tackle where he would remain for three seasons, even though he struggled at the position and was one of the highest penalized players in the league.
On February 17,
2007, the Cardinals told Davis that they would not name him a
franchise or
transition player, clearing him to become an
unrestricted free agent.
Dallas Cowboys
On March 4,
2007, Davis signed with the
Dallas Cowboys for a seven-year, $49.6 million contract with $18.75 million guaranteed, who were looking to replace the retired
Marco Rivera.
[2] At the time, the contract was criticized in the media, for the amount of salary cap space being assigned to a player that would play
guard and that had an average performance in previous years. According to
Forbes, Davis was the highest-paid NFL player and 19th overall athlete in the 12-month period ending in June 2007, earning $25.4 million.
[3]
He was named the starter at
right guard and would flourish in Dallas by going to the
Pro Bowl in his first three seasons. He had an exceptional year in
2007, as he received
Pro Bowl and
All-Pro honors for the first time in his career. The Cowboys finished 13-3 and won the
NFC East division, but suffered a disappointing first round playoff loss against the
New York Giants (who would go on to win the
Super Bowl).
In
2009, the Cowboys again won the division and also their first playoff game in 13 seasons.
He was released on July 28,
2011, due to declining play and the team's lack of salary cap room. Since
2005, Davis was the fifth most penalized player in the league with 42 penalties.