Dolphins react to NFL banning hip-drop tackling

A few Dolphins sound off about new rule change.

During the NFL’s annual meetings, teams voted on a few issues, including the hotly-debated hip-drop tackling technique, which was used by a Tennessee Titans defender on Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill, resulting in an injury.

The league has decided to ban the technique from the sport despite the NFL Players Association opposing such a ban.

According to NFL executive Jeff Miller, the hip-drop tackle was used 230 times last season, resulting in 15 players missing time with injuries.

After the news was announced a few Dolphins took to social media to share their displeasure with the change.

Obviously, Holland, Neal and Nixon all make their living off of bringing down offensive players, and this will make their lives much more difficult.

However, even some offensive players are complaining.

The league should be doing what it can to make the game safer for their players, but it does feel like rules are continuing to favor offense, and defenders are the ones who have to adjust their game.

There needs to be more balance.

Dolphins sign former Panthers DT Daviyon Nixon

The Dolphins have signed former Panthers DT Daviyon Nixon.

An old friend has found a new home.

As announced on Thursday, former Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon has signed with the Miami Dolphins.

Nixon spent the first two seasons of his NFL career with the Panthers, whom drafted him in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL draft. The big University of Iowa product was one of a franchise-record 11 selections by the organization that spring.

2021 saw Nixon record nine combined tackles, half a sack and two quarterback hits over seven games. Before entering his second campaign in 2022, Nixon was waived by the Panthers to make room for fellow defensive lineman Henry Anderson.

Carolina brought Nixon back to their practice squad a day following the release. He’d be signed to the active roster three weeks after his return and appeared in seven more games that season.

The Panthers waived Nixon later that year on Dec. 13. He was then signed by the Seattle Seahawks on Dec. 21.

[lawrence-related id=692493,692468,692400]

Dolphins sign former Panthers DT Daviyon Nixon

Miami has signed their second DT of the week.

The Miami Dolphins have been looking to add at some of their biggest positions of need before the new league year even starts, as they signed defensive tackle Isaiah Mack and tight end Jonnu Smith in recent days.

They continued to attack their needs on Thursday, as the team announced that they signed defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon.

Nixon, 25, was drafted by the Carolina Panthers as a fifth-round selection in the 2021 NFL draft following a collegiate career that was split between Iowa Western and Iowa (which included a Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year season in 2020).

The former Hawkeye missed over half of his rookie season with a knee injury and started his second year on the practice squad before being promoted and eventually waived. He was signed by the Seattle Seahawks in December of 2022, but he didn’t even last a week with the team.

In 14 career games, Nixon has recorded 15 tackles, two quarterback hits and a half-sack.

Miami actually worked him out back in January, but they ended up signing wide receiver Mathew Sexton from the group. He’ll now have the opportunity to compete with Mack and Brandon Pili for depth snaps at the position.

Dolphins worked out 7 free agents on Tuesday

Miami had multiple free agents in for workouts on Tuesday.

The Miami Dolphins, after losing to the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, returned to South Florida where they held tryouts for seven different free agents on Tuesday.

While general manager Chris Grier hasn’t pulled the trigger on any of them yet, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team ink one of them to a deal in the coming days or after the season ends on a futures/reserve contract.

Here’s a quick look at all seven players the Dolphins hosted:

Seahawks waive RB Tony Jones Jr., sign DT Daviyon Nixon

According to a report by Field Yates at ESPN, the Seahawks have waived running back Tony Jones Jr. and signed defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon.

According to a report by Field Yates at ESPN, the Seahawks have waived running back Tony Jones Jr. and signed defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon.

Jones appeared in four games during his time with Seattle, posting 16 rushing yards on eight attempts and recording three catches for 18 yards. He spent the first three years of his career with the Saints.

As for Nixon, he was a fifth-round pick by the Panthers in the 2021 NFL draft. He only played 14 games for Carolina over the last two seasons, totaling 15 combined tackles and half a sack. After going on and off their practice squad several times this season, he was waived on December 13.

Nixon finished his college career at Iowa, where he became a strong run stuffer. He posted 19 tackles for a loss from 2019-2020. As of yet that success against the run hasn’t really carried over into the NFL.

Seattle brought in four interior defensive linemen for tryouts yesterday, but Nixon wasn’t one of them. Jarrod Hewitt was and he’s been re-signed to the practice squad.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbycpfe4qgv9nf6 player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

[vertical-gallery id=98370]

Should the Browns put a waiver claim in on former Panthers’ DT Daviyon Nixon?

After another young defensive tackle is waived, one has to ask…

The Cleveland Browns have seen a bit more success out of their young defensive tackle room over the past few weeks, specifically from fourth round rookie Perrion Winfrey. However, the defensive tackle room is clearly still in need of a massive facelift. After the Carolina Panthers released third-year defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon, should the Browns consider putting a waiver claim in for him?

While Nixon may not be able to get up to speed to make an impact for the Browns in 2022, he does still have one year left on his rookie contract, meaning he would be in Cleveland over the summer to compete for a roster spot. At this point, it is not a bad idea to collect young and athletic players at a position of need to compete next summer.

After claiming wide receiver Jaelon Darden last week, could the Browns do it again this week with Nixon?

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbw33aqtym0ft0g player_id=01eqbvhghtkmz2182d image=]

[listicle id=82132]

Panthers waive DT Daviyon Nixon

For the second time this season, the Panthers have waived DT Daviyon Nixon.

For the second time this season, the Carolina Panthers have parted ways with Daviyon Nixon.

On Tuesday, the team announced they have waived the second-year defensive tackle. His first release came back on Sept. 5, when the Panthers had to make room for the signing of fellow defensive lineman Henry Anderson.

Ironically, Anderson’s return to the active roster from the reserve/non-football injury list has spelled Nixon’s end. The seventh-year veteran—who missed seven games after suffering from a minor stroke prior to the Week 7 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—was in uniform this past Sunday while Nixon, in turn, was a healthy scratch against the Seattle Seahawks.

Nixon was drafted by Carolina in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL draft. He has appeared in 14 games over his two pro seasons—recording 15 combined tackles, half a sack and a pair of quarterback hits.

The Panthers now have an open roster spot heading into Week 15.

[lawrence-related id=664183,664131]

[listicle id=664189]

Panthers sign DT Daviyon Nixon back to active roster

DT Daviyon Nixon is back on the Panthers’ active roster.

Well, that didn’t take too long.

On Tuesday morning, the Carolina Panthers announced they’ve signed defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon back to their active roster. The second-year defender officially rejoins the group following a bit of early-season shuffling.

Nixon was waived back on Sept. 5, when the team had to make room for an incoming free-agent signee and fellow defensive lineman—Henry Anderson. Just a day later, after clearing waivers, Nixon was added to the Carolina’s practice squad to begin the 2022 regular season.

This past Saturday, right before their Week 3 matchup against the NFC South rival New Orleans Saints, the 23-year-old was elevated from the practice squad to the game day roster. He notched one tackle (a stop) over nine snaps in the 22-14 victory.

His addition gets the Panthers back up to 53 men. The day prior, they waived linebacker Arron Mosby—who served as the team’s standard elevation for the first two weeks.

[lawrence-related id=658645,658635]

[listicle id=658616]

Panthers to bring DT Daviyon Nixon back on practice squad

One day after waiving DT Daviyon Nixon, the Panthers will be bringing the 2021 fifth-round pick back as a member of their practice squad.

The Carolina Panthers needed to make room on their current 53-man roster for defensive end Henry Anderson on Monday. And to do so, they had a bit of a surprise in store.

That surprise led to the departure of defensive tackle Daviyon Nixon, a fifth-round selection by the Panthers from just a year ago. But, luckily for the 23-year-old, it will be a very short stay away.

As reported by NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport on Tuesday evening, the Panthers will bring Nixon back. The second-year defensive tackle will rejoin the organization as the 16th member of their practice squad.

Yesterday, head coach Matt Rhule said Nixon was just a victim of circumstance.

“These things are tough,” he said of the cut. “You have to make tough decisions. Daviyon’s, obviously, a person we drafted. Had a tough injury last year, coming into this year. But we couldn’t go into the year with that many d-linemen. We’ve been happy with [Marquan] McCall and [Phil] Hoskins. So that was the decision we had to make.”

Well, they’ve made a new decision now—one that has Nixon right back in the building.

[lawrence-related id=657340,657319]

[listicle id=657238]

Why did Panthers waive DT Daviyon Nixon?

To create room for DE Henry Anderson, the Panthers made a surprise move and waived 2021 fifth-round pick Daviyon Nixon. Here’s why they did it:

The Carolina Panthers’ decision to add some more help on its defensive line wasn’t the big surprise on Monday. It was what came as a result of the move that really raised some eyebrows.

In signing defensive end Henry Anderson early this afternoon, the team cut ties with Daviyon Nixon. Not only was the third-year defensive tackle a promising talent, possessing the athleticism to play both inside and out, but he was also a pretty recent investment—a fifth-round pick from last year’s draft.

So why was Nixon the casualty? Head coach Matt Rhule explained a bit of the team’s reasoning a few hours after the cut went down.

“These things are tough,” he said. “You have to make tough decisions. Daviyon’s, obviously, a person we drafted. Had a tough injury last year, coming into this year. But we couldn’t go into the year with that many d-linemen. We’ve been happy with [Marquan] McCall and [Phil] Hoskins. So that was the decision we had to make.”

McCall, an undrafted rookie, was one of the team’s top standouts from summer action. And Hoskins, who was selected two rounds after Nixon, has also stuck on as a staff favorite.

Additionally, FOX Charlotte’s Will Kunkel had a beat on the move. He’d later report that the Panthers didn’t exactly see Nixon as a pro-level player.

Nixon appeared in seven games last season. He registered nine tackles, two quarterback hits and half a sack.

[lawrence-related id=657313,657303]

[listicle id=657207]