Free-agent countdown: CB Davon House
Editor's note: Prior to the start of the new league year in March, Press-Gazette Media is counting down the top unrestricted, restricted and exclusive-right free agents the Green Bay Packers will have to decide on this offseason.
Davon House has made it clear he wants to be a starting cornerback in the NFL.
He certainly looked the part against the Atlanta Falcons on Dec. 8, 2014.
With the secondary struggling to contain Julio Jones, the Green Bay Packers pulled Sam Shields and replaced him with House. His job was to stop the bleeding, as the Falcons' All-Pro receiver was well on his way to scorching the Green Bay's defense for 11 catches for 259 yards and a touchdown.
According to Pro Football Focus, House allowed two catches for 37 yards the remainder of the game with two pass deflections. His last prevented a touchdown and was critical in the Packers' closer-than-expected 43-37 win over the Falcons.
At the end of the play, House came crashing down on Jones' knee and fractured his right scapula. It forced him out of the Packers' last three games of the regular season. Jones also missed Atlanta's next game against Pittsburgh with a hip injury sustained on the same play.
In many ways, it's a microcosm of House's time with the Packers.
The 6-foot-1, 195-pound cornerback has flashed brilliance since being drafted in the fourth round out of New Mexico State in 2011, but he's also battled through a rash of injuries.
House sustained hamstring and ankle injuries that slowed his development as a rookie in 2011. He made a strong bid for a starting spot the following year before sustaining a shoulder subluxation in the Packers' preseason opener that sidelined him for the first six games of the 2012 campaign.
House has made a few spot starts for an injured Shields over the last two seasons, but mostly been relegated to a sub-package role. His snaps have been further limited since he played strictly on the perimeter. He still finished fourth on the team with 10 pass deflections despite playing only a third of the defensive snaps.
House hits the free-agent market at a good time. He'll turn 26 in July and should get a chance to compete for a starting job whether it's in Green Bay or elsewhere in the league. The Packers will need to determine which direction they'll go at the position with veteran Tramon William also an unrestricted free agent. The former Pro Bowler will turn 32 in less than two weeks.
Packers general manager Ted Thompson will have to weigh the cornerbacks' value to the Packers against what the market might pay them in less than one week. If both leave, Green Bay likely will need to add another cornerback through the draft or free agency.
If one returns, the Packers should remained stacked the position with Micah Hyde and Casey Hayward providing proven options in the nickel and dime subpackages.
-- whodkiew@pressgazettemedia.com and follow him on Twitter @WesHod.
Davon House, fourth-year cornerback
The skinny: Unrestricted free agent.
The snaps: 596 total (405 defense, 191 special teams).
The stats: 27 tackles, 10 pass deflections, interception, forced fumble.
2014 salary: $645,000.
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