James Davis ( running back ) James Andrew Davis ( born January 1 , 1986 ) is an American football running back . He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns in the sixth round of the 2009 NFL Draft . He played college football at Clemson . He has also been a member of the Washington Redskins and Houston Texans Early life . Davis was born in Atlanta , Georgia , and attended Douglass High School , where he rushed for 7 , 339 yards and 80 touchdowns in his career . As a senior , he ran for 2 , 389 yards and 28 touchdowns on 350 carries , including two games with 300 + yards . He participated in the Georgia North / South game and earned co - MVP honors as he scored the only touchdown to lead the North to victory . Davis received 5A all - state honors by the " Atlanta Constitution " as a senior , after being named honorable mention 5A all - state as a junior . He was also an honorable mention All - Southern team pick by the " Orlando Sentinel " . Considered a four - star recruit by " Rivals . com " , Davis was listed as the No . 6 running back prospect in the nation in the class of 2005 . He chose Clemson over Alabama , Florida , Georgia , Kentucky , Louisiana State , Mississippi State , Tennessee , and Virginia Tech . College career . Already a starter in his true freshman season at Clemson University , Davis racked up 879 rushing yards on 165 carries and scored nine rushing touchdowns , which set the Tiger single - season freshman touchdown record . He had four 100 - yard rushing games , most ever by a Tiger true freshman , and ranked first among freshmen in the Atlantic Coast Conference in rushing . Davis was subsequently named ACC Rookie of the Year , the first Tiger to win the award since Anthony Simmons in 1995 . He was also a second - team freshman All - American by " Rivals . com " and third - team by " College Football News " , as well as an honorable mention freshman All - American by " Sporting News " . In his sophomore year , Davis rushed 1 , 187 yards ( sixth highest total in Clemson history ) for an average of 91 . 3 yards per game ( 5 . 85 yards per carry ) , 28th - best in the nation and third - best in the ACC . His 17 touchdowns tied a Clemson single - season record also held by Lester Brown in 1978 , and was fifth - most in ACC history . Davis was one of ten semifinalists for the Doak Walker Award in 2006 , and also earned First Team All - ACC honors . Clemson ' s leading rusher for the third - straight year ( the first Tiger to do so since Raymond Priester from 1995 – 97 ) , Davis ran for 1 , 064 yards and 10 touchdowns on 214 attempts as a junior . He ranked second in the ACC and 53rd in the nation in rushing average per game ( 81 . 8 ) . Davis became the first Tiger running back to be named First - Team All - ACC in consecutive years since Terry Allen ( 1987 , 1988 ) . As a senior , Davis suffered separated shoulder in spring 2008 practices , and had arthroscopic surgery to repair . He failed to reach the 1 , 000 - yard mark for a third consecutive year , as he only rushed for 751 yard and 11 touchdowns . However , he still led Clemson in rushing , becoming the first Tiger in history to do that . Davis finished his college career fourth in Tiger history in career all - purpose yards ( 4 , 309 ) . Professional career . 2009 NFL Draft . Davis applied for the 2008 NFL Draft in January 2008 , but withdrew his name a few days before the final deadline . He was automatically eligible in the 2009 NFL Draft , but his draft stock had taken a hit after his up - and - down senior season . Consistently referred to as a " one - cut , one - speed runner " , Davis was projected as a late - round pick . He was eventually selected in the sixth round ( 195th overall ) by the Cleveland Browns . Cleveland Browns . On September 12 , Davis was involved in a minor one - car accident and suffered a head injury . He was briefly hospitalized and released a few hours later . Davis was projected by many pundits to be a good under - the - radar player and a fantasy sleeper , however after appearing in the season ' s first three games , Davis was placed on injured reserve on October 3 , after allegedly being tackled by a Cleveland Browns linebacker in practice and suffering a torn labrum . It was initially reported Davis did not have shoulder pads on while the linebacker that tackled him did . However , an investigation by the NFL concluded that the injury occurred in a " controlled environment " and no league policies were violated . On October 25 , 2010 he was released by the Browns . Washington Redskins . On October 27 , 2010 Davis was signed to the Washington Redskins practice squad . During the Redskins ' week 11 victory over the Tennessee Titans back up running back , Chad Simpson , suffered a broken foot during pregame warmups , Davis was then signed to the Redskins ' roster the following day , November 22 , 2010 . He left the squad on August 15 , 2011 , after reportedly being unhappy with his playing time . The following day , he was placed on reserve / left squad . He requested and was granted his release on August 21 . Houston Texans . On September 28 , 2011 , Davis was signed to the Houston Texans practice squad . Detroit Lions . On October 19 , 2011 , Davis was signed to the Detroit Lions practice squad . On October 21 , he was placed on the practice squad / injured list .