It wasn’t pain that let Tyler Davis know something was wrong. It was his range of motion. Or lack thereof.
“I just couldn’t move my arm all the way down,” Davis said. “Couldn’t extend it.”
Clemson’s defensive tackle was less than three games into his junior season when the injury happened during the second quarter of the Tigers’ 14-8 win over Georgia Tech back on Sept. 18. Turns out one of Davis’ bicep tendons had detached from the bone, but it didn’t keep him from finishing the game.
“When it first happened, I was like, ‘Yeah, I can still play,” he said. “I was playing on it, but I ain’t know it was going to be a torn bicep tendon.”
Davis underwent surgery the following week, and Clemson coach Dabo Swinney initially said his recovery would likely keep Davis out of action anywhere from seven to eight weeks. The most difficult part, Davis said, was sleeping in a sling for a couple of weeks after the operation.
But Davis was determined to make it back sooner than that. He was “sailing through” his rehab, he said, which first gave Davis an inkling that he’d be able to do just that.
“I guess it’s just the nature of who I am,” Davis said. “I feel like I always try to help my team the best way I can. So if I can play, I can play.”
After just four weeks, Davis made his return in Clemson’s loss at Pittsburgh, giving a defensive line that had already lost its other starting defensive tackle, Bryan Bresee (torn ACL), for the season a sooner-than-expected boost. He was on what Swinney called a pitch count against the Panthers but hasn’t had his snaps limited since. Davis has 19 tackles and 1.5 sacks in seven games this season.
The only lingering sign of Davis’ injury to the naked eye is a bulky brace he’s been wearing on right arm each week. He said the extra support doesn’t hinder his ability to strike offensive linemen or get off blocks, though he’s not always a fan of it.
“We’ve got kind of like a love-hate relationship with the brace,” Davis said. “It helps me out a lot, but I don’t like wearing it sometimes.”
But Davis is just glad to be back on the field after his latest injury. Davis was a second-team all-ACC selection as a freshman in 2019 when he had 51 tackles, nine tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks, but a knee injury forced him to miss five games as a sophomore. In the seven games he played last season, he had 17 tackles and five tackles for loss.
“You never know when it’s your last play,” Davis said. “Just always stay grateful for every opportunity you get on the field.”
Clemson’s defense is happy to have him back, too, particularly with its depth on the interior of the defensive line starting to thin out more. Tre Williams, who’s dealt with various injuries throughout the season, is set to undergo season-ending surgery, leaving Davis, Ruke Orhorhoro and Etinosa Reuben as the Tigers’ primary rotation on the inside heading into Saturday’s regular-season finale at South Carolina.
Once the season is over, Davis, who’s draft-eligible, may have a decision to make regarding his future, though he said he’s likely to return to Clemson for another season.
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