Miami Dolphins watch Davon Godchaux leave for the Patriots
By Brian Miller
Davon Godchaux was allowed to hit the free agency market as the Miami Dolphins did not pursue him and now, only a short time into the NFL’s legal tampering, it is being reported that he will join the Patriots.
So far the Dolphins’ AFC East rivals have been busy. They have already signed Cam Newton last week to another one-year deal and it was announced that they will sign TE Jonnu Smith to a 4-year $50 million contract. Now they apparently have added Godchaux.
Former Dolphins’ NT Davon Godchaux agrees with the Patriots on a 2-year deal worth up to $16 million that includes $9 million fully guaranteed, his agent @DrewJRosenhaus tells ESPN.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2021
The deal is a good one for a player who spent much of last season on IR and has had a moderately average career with the Dolphins. Drafted in round 5 of the 2017 draft, Godchaux had started all 16 games in 2018 and 2019 before injury shelved his season in 2020 after five games.
He finishes his career with the Dolphins with 179 combined tackles, two passes defended, and one forced fumble. Despite having 16 hits on quarterbacks, he was only credited with three sacks according to ProFootballReference.com.
Godchaux looked to be heading in the right direction with the Dolphins after a decent rookie season that saw him combine for 40 tackles in five starts and 15 game appearances but he never really developed to the point he was in Miami’s plans. The coaching change in 2019 to Brian Flores didn’t help as the scheme required a different type of player.
The move to let Godchaux leave wasn’t a bad decision. Miami got better production from Zach Sieler and rookie Raekwon Davis. He should do well enough as a spot player with the Patriots. It is a good contract for a player that would not have gotten close to that in Miami. It would have been nice to continue rooting for him in his NFL career but, well, can’t really do that now!