ST. LOUIS — The NFL is looking into whether the New Orleans Saints delayed the arrival of Broncos linebacker Todd Davis to Denver after he was claimed off waivers, a league official confirmed Sunday.
The Broncos placed Nate Irving (right knee) on season-ending injured reserve Thursday to make room for Davis. They wanted Davis to be available for special teams duty against the Rams, but he landed on the inactive list. Per league rules, Davis should not have been at the Saints’ facility once he was waived on Wednesday. He was not reachable on Thursday — a bone of contention with the Broncos — after he was claimed. In general, teams bring in a claimed player as soon as possible since the player goes directly to their active roster.
If he was at the Saints’ facility that could be a violation, and certainly if he were in a team meeting. Davis was unable to travel to Denver on Thursday, when he could have attended Broncos meetings. And with the Broncos leaving early Friday afternoon he met the team in St. Louis. It prevented a full-day of preparation with his his new club, allowing him to catch up to speed.
ESPN first reported the story.
