Akeem Davis-Gaither

Akeem Davis-Gaither
Indianapolis Colts
PositionLinebacker
Roster statusActive
Personal information
Born (1997-09-21) September 21, 1997
Thomasville, North Carolina, U.S.
Listed height6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Listed weight238 lb (108 kg)
Career information
High schoolThomasville (NC)
CollegeAppalachian State (2015–2019)
NFL draft2020: 4th round, 107th overall pick
Career history
Awards and highlights
  • Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year (2019)
  • First-team All-Sun Belt (2019)
  • Second-team All-Sun Belt (2018)
Career NFL statistics as of 2025
Total tackles321
Sacks0.5
Forced fumbles3
Fumble recoveries3
Interceptions3
Pass deflections16
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Akeem Brian Davis-Gaither (born September 21, 1997) is an American professional football linebacker for the Indianapolis Colts of the National Football League (NFL). He has previously played in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals and Arizona Cardinals. He played college football for the Appalachian State Mountaineers.

Early life

Davis-Gaither attended Thomasville High School in Thomasville, North Carolina. As a senior in 2015, he had 115 tackles with five sacks and also had eight rushing touchdowns as a running back. He committed to Appalachian State University to play college football.[1]

College career

Davis-Gaither played at Appalachian State from 2015 to 2019.[2][3] As a senior in 2019, he was the Sun Belt Conference Defensive Player of the Year after recording 101 tackles, five sacks and an interception.[4][5] For his career, Davis-Gaither had 201 tackles, 6.5 sacks and the interception.[6]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span Bench press
6 ft 1+1⁄2 in
(1.87 m)		 224 lb
(102 kg)		 31+1⁄8 in
(0.79 m)		 9+1⁄2 in
(0.24 m)		 21 reps
All values from NFL Combine[7][8]

Cincinnati Bengals

Davis-Gaither was selected by the Cincinnati Bengals in the fourth round with the 107th pick of the 2020 NFL draft.[9] In Week 17 against the Baltimore Ravens, Davis-Gaither recorded his first career interception off a pass thrown by Lamar Jackson during the 38–3 loss.[10]

On November 9, 2021, Davis-Gaither was placed on injured reserve after suffering a foot injury in Week 9.[11] In 2022, Davis recorded a career high 46 tackles and his first fumble recovery. He also intercepted a pass in the Bengals wildcard playoff win against the Ravens.

On March 13, 2024, Davis-Gaither signed a one-year contract extension with the Bengals.[12]

Arizona Cardinals

On March 13, 2025, Davis-Gaither signed with the Arizona Cardinals on a two-year, $11 million contract.[13] He played in all 17 games for Arizona (including 13 starts), finishing second on the team with a career-high 117 tackles.

On March 6, 2026, Davis-Gaither was released by the Cardinals.[14]

Indianapolis Colts

On March 18, 2026, Davis-Gaither signed a one-year, $2.725 million contract with the Indianapolis Colts.[15]

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD
2020 CIN 16 2 31 20 11 0.5 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0
2021 CIN 9 0 28 21 7 0.0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 3 1 0 0 0 0
2022 CIN 16 1 46 30 16 0.0 2 0 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 1 3 0
2023 CIN 13 1 17 10 7 0.0 1 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2024 CIN 17 7 82 41 41 0.0 4 1 12 12.0 12 0 4 1 0 1 0 0
2025 ARI 17 13 117 51 66 0.0 2 1 0 0.0 0 0 5 1 0 1 0 0
Career 88 24 321 173 148 0.5 9 3 12 4.0 12 0 16 3 0 3 3 0

Postseason

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD FF Fmb FR Yds TD
2022 CIN 3 0 6 5 1 0.0 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
Career 3 0 6 5 1 0.0 0 1 0 0.0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

References

  1. ^ https://247sports.com/recruitment/akeem-davis-gaither-45911/recruitinterests/
  2. ^ Joyce, Ethan (June 24, 2024). "Akeem Davis-Gaither wondered if App State would be the right place for him. Now his patience is paying off". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  3. ^ Behr, Steve (September 11, 2023). "Davis-Gaither gives App State power and quickness at LB". Watauga Democrat. Retrieved July 25, 2024.
  4. ^ Duprez, Mike. "Davis-Gaither thrilled over award". The Dispatch. Archived from the original on May 3, 2020. Retrieved March 17, 2020.
  5. ^ Joyce, Ethan (December 4, 2019). "No. 21 App State's Darrynton Evans, Akeem Davis-Gaither win Sun Belt offensive and defensive player of the year awards". Winston-Salem Journal. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  6. ^ How Appalachian State’s Davis-Gaither went from afterthought to a top LB in NFL Draft
  7. ^ "Akeem Davis-Gaither Draft and Combine Prospect Profile". NFL.com. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  8. ^ "Akeem Davis-Gaither, Appalachian State, OLB, 2020 NFL Draft Scout, NCAA College Football". draftscout.com. Retrieved February 12, 2022.
  9. ^ Marcum, Jason (April 25, 2020). "Bengals select Akeem Davis-Gaither in Round 4 of 2020 NFL Draft". Cincy Jungle. Retrieved April 27, 2020.
  10. ^ "Baltimore Ravens at Cincinnati Bengals - January 3rd, 2021". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 3, 2021.
  11. ^ "Bengals Make Four Roster Moves Ahead Of The Bye". Bengals.com. November 9, 2021.
  12. ^ "Bengals Re-Sign Akeem Davis-Gaither". Bengals.com. March 13, 2024.
  13. ^ Root, Jess (March 13, 2025). "Arizona Cardinals announce signing of LB Akeem Davis-Gaither". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved September 29, 2025.
  14. ^ Urban, Darren. "Cardinals Release Akeem Davis-Gaither, Bilal Nichols". AZCardinals.com. Retrieved March 6, 2026.
  15. ^ "Colts sign free agent LB Akeem Davis-Gaither". Colts.com. Retrieved March 18, 2026.
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