Isaiah Davis got his first opportunity for legitimate carries in the NFL as the New York Jets fell to the Miami Dolphins in overtime on Sunday. The 22-year-old rookie received only one less touch than fellow first-year running back Braelon Allen and scored his team’s only rushing touchdown of the game.
Although he finished with career highs in ever category, it was his hustle that really set him apart. He is a small glimmer of optimism during a very dark season for the Jets.
Davis, a two-time FCS national champion at South Dakota State, was a First-Team All American last season and the Co-Offensive Player of the Year in the Missouri Valley Football Conference. The 218-pound running back went for 1,384 yards on 205 carries (6.8 yards per carry) with 15 touchdowns as a senior. Defenses struggled to bring him down in between the tackles. He was gone in the open field.
New York saw the potential in Davis and drafted him No. 173 overall in the fifth round. The Jets employed him mostly on special teams throughout their first 12 games of the year. Breece Hall and Allen were the primary ball-carriers.
However, an injury to Hall thrust Davis into the rotation while in The 305. He got 10 carries during the overtime loss and scored from 22 yards out during the second quarter.
.@z4days for SIX!!! 🙌#NYJvsMIA on CBS & @paramountplus pic.twitter.com/0QQuc3Jceh
— New York Jets (@nyjets) December 8, 2024
Just moments later, New York lined up on kickoff. Isaiah Davis is on the kickoff team. His hustle between his first NFL touchdown and the following special teams play is drawing high praise from a fanbase that is in desperate need of positivity. The rookie running back was ready to go.
let’s just take a moment to analyze this here video.
— Stone Labanowitz (@LabanowitzStone) December 8, 2024
fresh off a 17 yard touchdown scamper handed to him by Aaron Rodgers, Isaiah Davis (@z4days) then casually jogs into the kickoff huddle. The bunny machine is real. This is how the FCS gets to the NFL. Love it. pic.twitter.com/FxzlPYHTsM
Haters will look at this video and say, “oh wow, a man getting paid professional football did his job.” Sure. That is certainly one way to see the glass half empty. If the glass is half full, Isaiah Davis took advantage of an opportunity to shine and refused to let his success get in the way of the little things. That is a behavior worthy of praise. He cares.