Report: Patriots special teamer Cody Davis to undergo season-ending knee surgery

New England Patriots special teams ace Cody Davis will not return this season. According to a report by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, he will undergo season-ending surgery after suffering a knee injury in Week 6 against the Cleveland Browns.

Davis, 33, has been a key member of New England’s kicking game operation ever since his arrival as an unrestricted free agent in 2020.

After appearing in a combined 31 regular season and playoff games for the organization during his first two seasons — ranking among the team leaders in special teams snaps each of his two years — he kept a prominent role in 2022. Through the first five weeks of the season, Davis was tied for the team lead with 99 special teams for a playing-time share of 83.2 percent.

However, he suffered a non-contact knee injury in the second quarter of the Patriots’ game against the Browns. Davis went down while trying to cover a kickoff, and while he walked off the field under his own power had to be placed on injured reserve the following day.

The move forced him to sit out at least four games under NFL rules, but his absence will be considerably longer. In turn, the Patriots need to reshuffle their kickoff and punt teams; Davis has been a key member on all four of those units as well as the field goal/extra point blocking teams.

How the team will do that remains to be seen, but it does have some options in the form of veteran safety Adrian Phillips and rookie Brenden Schooler. Additionally, New England also has an open spot on its 53-man roster after sending Davis to IR.