Washington Redskins: 15 greatest running backs in franchise history

He broke the franchise record for rushing yards in a season. Twice. He earned two Pro Bowl bids with the Redskins and was given All-Pro consideration in 1999. He’s also a homegrown fourth-round pick, who was given a rare kind of faith by the Redskins when few had reason to believe in him.

He is Stephen Davis.

Davis was a backup for the first three years of his career as a member of the Redskins. Often, the first three years is where teams get some of the best seasons from their running backs. Davis had a large chunk of his prime wiped away. When he finally got the starting nod in 1999, he made the Redskins regret sitting him for so long.

At 6-feet, 230 pounds, Davis was an imposing figure and a menace to opposing defenders. A nightmare to size up against and a player who made the act of the tackle almost impossible, Davis scored 17 touchdowns on the ground in 1999, finding the end zone every 17 carries and averaging almost five yards per attempt.

With his vision and violence, he had over 300 carries in each of the next two seasons. And in 2001, he ran for 1,432 yards, setting a record that would stand for four years.

Davis’ Redskins teams didn’t win anything notable, but in spite of the incongruence of Dan Snyder’s early years of ownership, Davis was a rare steady constant. Whenever the ball was in his hands, he was going to punish the guys on the other side. You just knew it.