Tag: Davon Godchaux

Dolphins’ Davon Godchaux teams up to donate backpacks to 150 kids

Dolphins’ Davon Godchaux teams up to donate backpacks to 150 kids

The Miami Dolphins have several initiatives at play as an organization to help boost the quality of life for residents in the South Florida community, currently highlighted by their Food Relief Program and the nearly quarter of a million dollars the Foundation has raised in less than two months. But individual players are also taking the chance to get involved on different fronts and make a difference, too.

The latest example comes from Dolphins defensive tackle Davon Godchaux, who yesterday teamed up with Dunkin and Breakthrough Miami to donate 150 backpacks and supplies to local school children ahead of the 2020-2021 school year.

This is hardly Godchaux’s first foray into charity, either — he’s been a constant fixture at events in the past and was the Dolphins’ nominee for the NFL’s ‘Walter Payton Man of the Year’ award in 2019. Godchaux pledged $100 for every tackle he made during the month of October to go toward fighting cancer. He’s been on hand for flag football tournaments and helped to donate beds to underprivileged children in the past as well — but his list of charitable efforts is much more expansive.

When asked about his charitable efforts in the past, Godchaux has been quick to point to his own upbringing and how he sees his platform as a chance to change the lives of the next generation for the better.

“Growing up, I didn’t have it all,” said Godchaux in 2019. “I wasn’t born with a silver spoon, so I feel like I always got the opportunity to give back, to give a little more, I always want to give back to the community and make sure giving back to the kids is always important to me.

“At the end of the day, I think the kids are the next generation. That’s the next group up. We have to make sure our kids are straight. Any time I have a chance to impact a kid’s life I think it’s always important because I feel like growing up somebody impacted my life.”

And here he is, in the middle of the uncertainty regarding the 2020 season and in the midst of a pandemic, continuing to let his actions speak louder than his words. While the Dolphins are facing a big decision on Godchaux’s status with the team beyond the 2020 season on the field, there’s little question this is one to be proud of no matter what off the field.

What should the Dolphins expect DL Davon Godchaux to cost?

What should the Dolphins expect DL Davon Godchaux to cost?

The Miami Dolphins are facing yet another offseason in 2021 without significant amounts of outgoing free agents. But, unlike in 2020, the Dolphins will have a few priority players that they will need to decide how to handle — there will be more difficult conversations to be had than what Miami had to deal with this past year. Key among Miami’s expiring talents is defensive lineman Davon Godchaux, who has been among one of the Dolphins’ better Day 3 selections of recent memory.

If you’re looking for a lot of splash plays in the opposing backfield, you’ve come to the wrong place. But Godchaux is a reliable interior defender who provides sufficient gap control and plays the physical brand of football the Dolphins are looking for up front.

Should the Dolphins be interested in locking Godchaux into a contract extension ahead of the open of 2021 free agency next spring, they’ll have ample opportunity to do so — and will have no trouble with manufacturing the necessary salary cap space to get a deal done, either. The Buffalo Bills signed defensive lineman Quinton Jefferson this offseason as an interior defensive lineman to a 2-year, $13.5M contract after two promising seasons back to back in Seattle with the Seahawks.

Over that time, Jefferson logged 6.5 sacks while playing approximately 55% of the team’s snaps.

Godchaux, over the last two seasons, has logged 3 sacks on approximately 63% of his team’s snaps.

Of course, there’s much more that goes into player valuation than just a simple sack number. Pressure rates, run defense and snap counts are all valuable weapons for negotiations. But considering Jefferson’s market and Godchaux’s lack of upside in the disruptive side of the game, Miami is probably looking at a potential $5M or $6M commitment for Godchaux is he breaks out even more in 2020. And with a projecting $57.5M on the books for next offseason (pending a salary cap adjustment), Miami should be able to take this resigning completely in stride.

Does Dolphins’ cap approach hinder possible contract extensions?

Does Dolphins’ cap approach hinder possible contract extensions?

The Miami Dolphins’ aggressive salary cap strategy is going to lead to effective flexibility for years to come. Miami, who has been accustomed to backing up against the salary cap and being forced to restructure contracts in order to defer guaranteed money and manufacture cap space in the past, has a new way of structuring their deals — and it is quite smart. Miami is aggressively front-loading the guaranteed money in their free agent signings to ensure they’re able to pay premium price for players but also to ensure that when 2021 rolls around, Miami will be dealing with lower cap hits for their previous year’s additions to the roster.

So instead of Miami paying big for a player and eating the majority of the cost two years from now, Miami is now eating that cost up front to ensure that the team has as much cap space as possible each season.

How are they doing it? Roster bonuses. Miami is on the books for tens of millions of dollars in 2020 “roster bonuses”, so as long as each players who has one is on the team by a certain date, they’ll be credited their multi-million dollar bonus. Had Miami dropped those bonuses into signing bonuses, the Dolphins would see that money pro-rated over several years.

The Dolphins figure, “we have the space, let’s just spend the guarantees now”.

It’s smart. But will it provide any barriers to any preemptive contract extensions the Dolphins may want to entertain this summer? Players like Davon Godchaux and Raekwon McMillan are entering the final seasons of their respective deals. The good news for Miami is depending on how they choose to structure a potential extension, there should be very little to no restrictions in ironing out new deals. The Dolphins have several other potential free agents looming, but many are restricted free agents that the Dolphins should easily be able to flex roster control on. McMillan and Godchaux are the two prime candidates for extensions — and if the Dolphins really want to iron out a deal, their new cap structure and spending won’t stand in the way.

Who are some candidates to play nose tackle for Dolphins in 2020?

Who are some candidates to play nose tackle for Dolphins in 2020?

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The Miami Dolphins defense has gotten their fair share of reinforcements this offseason. And, thankfully, the Dolphins seem to have got their guys at every step along the way. There have been a few NFL players, most recently cornerback Eli Apple, who initially agreed to terms with new teams in the negotiation window but ultimately backed out of formally signing a contract.

That hasn’t happened to Miami and as a result the team’s defense is looking much more stout. But they’re still missing a prominent presence in the heart of the defensive line. The Dolphins have a number of spots filled, but a true nose tackle isn’t among them. Who might be able to step into that spot?

Here are some of the prime candidates.

Free agent Damon Harrison

Cost: 1-year deal 

Harrison is a little long in the tooth for the Dolphins’ standards — but he’s unquestionably the best remaining free agent nose tackle on the market. The Dolphins didn’t seem to make too big of a run at the likes of Javon Hargrave, Michael Pierce or DJ Reader — but Harrison would be a viable short-term answer if the Dolphins were interested.

Dolphins’ Davon Godchaux

Cost: Nothing

Here’s the good news. The Dolphins have someone on the roster in Davon Godchaux who is at least modestly able to occupy the role. Godchaux should be considered a long-term piece but he isn’t the 2-gap stalwart defensive tackle that past Patriots defenses have used under Brian Flores. Godchaux and Christian Wilkins are the ideal pairing for 3-4 defensive ends (think about the Steelers’ long-time pairing of Cam Heyward and Stephon Tuitt as an example). But if Miami strikes out, Godchaux can man the middle

Ohio State’s Davon Hamilton

Cost: Pick 56/70 in the 2020 NFL Draft

Hamilton is an absolute mauler in the middle — but he isn’t just restricted to serving as a lump on a log, either. Hamilton had an impressive 2019 season with the Buckeyes on all fronts, he was a productive run defender and pass rusher alike. The question here is if the value for Miami is going to line up for a sensible selection; the Dolphins will want to make sure they get good value for each of their six top-75 selections and Hamilton may be in too high of demand.

Utah’s Leki Fotu

Cost: Day 3 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft

The worst cast scenario? The Dolphins snatch up this blue collar defender from Utah. He fits many of the stereotypes Coach Flores wants in his defenders and he’s an athletic mammoth of a man. Fotu has some side to side range as well, so there’s some scheme diversity to play in both odd or even fronts.

Dolphins name team award winners for the 2019 season

The Miami Dolphins announced their 2019 season award winners ahead of the team’s Week 17 matchup in New England.

The Miami Dolphins season is just a few days from coming to a close — but not before the team honored their standout performers on and off the field. The team announced their annual award winners for the 2019 Miami Dolphins season, adding one new name to the list of winners for the Dan Marino MVP, Don Shula Leadership Award, Ed Block Courage Award and the Nat Moore Community Service Award.

Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick brought home both the Dan Marino MVP and the Don Shula Leadership award, while wide receiver Albert Wilson was named the winner of the Ed Block Courage Award. The Dolphins’ nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award, Davon Godchaux, was named the winner of the Nat Moore Community Service Award.

Perhaps the only argument to be made here was one for Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker to challenge Fitzpatrick’s winning of the Dan Marino MVP. But ultimately, it was Fitzpatrick’s reinsertion to the lineup that kickstarted Miami’s offense and Parker’s production alike — so who are we to argue too much?

Fitzpatrick’s impact on the Dolphins has been deniable and his winning of the team’s MVP and leadership award make him just the fourth player in team history to win both awards in the same season. The first three? Chad Pennington in 2008, Jason Taylor in 2002 and 2006 and Dan Marino back in 1995 — according to the team’s press release.

Fitzpatrick’s reaction? He’s humbled.

“I’m humbled by it. It’s awesome. I think again, it’s something that we’ve worked through a lot of adversity this year and to be a guy regarded as that by whoever it was that voted for it, I’m proud,” said Fitzpatrick.

“I’m proud to receive the award and to be named that; but overall, I’m happy to be one of those guys that stuck with it throughout the whole year and continued on a positive trend and continued to keep guys going a little bit.”

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Behind Enemy Lines: Week 15 Q&A with Dolphins Wire

With a Week 15 matchup between the New York Giants and Miami Dolphins on tap, we go behind enemy lines for a chat with Dolphins Wire.

The New York Giants (2-11) and Miami Dolphins (3-10) will square off on Sunday afternoon in Week 15.

The Giants opened the week as 3.5-point home favorites, and the spread hasn’t changed at all as of Sunday morning, with Big Blue still at -3.5

With this matchup on tap, Giants Wire took the opportunity to hold a Q&A with Dolphins Wire managing editor Kyle Crabbs.

Noah K. Murray-USA TODAY Sports

Giants Wire: What happened with Josh Rosen and that entire situation that led to Ryan Fitzpatrick earning his starting job back? Miami seemed relatively sold on Rosen, who many believe has gotten a raw deal early on in his career.

Kyle Crabbs: By the time Rosen got into camp and the coaching staff really had the chance to get their hands on him, it became apparent pretty quickly that Rosen’s prior coaching hadn’t adequately prepared him for life as an NFL quarterback.

Rosen had zero experience in identifying the MIKE and making protection calls at the line of scrimmage — which resulted in irregular results in live game action and slowed Rosen’s ability to read and react.

By halftime of the Washington game in Week 6, it was clear Rosen’s inconsistencies here were preventing the Dolphins from getting an assessment on the rest of their roster, which is the primary objective for 2019. As a result, the switch to Fitzpatrick was made.

Continue …

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Which Miami Dolphin is next in line for a contract extension?

If the Dolphins want to continue to extend their long-term talent, here’s where they can start.

Xavien Howard. Jesse Davis. Allen Hurns. Jakeem Grant. Eric Rowe. DeVante Parker. While everyone was too busy freaking out about the Dolphins trading players away this season, the Dolphins themselves have been busy identifying which pieces on their rebuild roster are viable long-term assets to the team — and have been acting accordingly to lock them into place on longer contracts. Each of the previously mentioned players has received a contract extension from the Dolphins in the past six months.

And the Dolphins probably aren’t done inking contract extensions, either. But who would be the next logical addition to the updated payroll? The Dolphins have several options. The team could opt to extend one of their many new additions, such as Vince Biegel. Heck, they would be wise to. But that isn’t an overly pressing issue for Miami, given Biegel’s status as a restricted free agent and his lack of ceiling.

Rather, two members of the 2017 NFL Draft class for Miami loom large and critical contributors to the Dolphins and both should be considered “next” in line for a new contract.

The first is Dolphins linebacker Raekwon McMillan. The former Ohio State linebacker had a bit of a shaky start to life under Brian Flores and company this summer and at one point appeared to have his starting role in jeopardy. That’s sorted itself out quite nicely as McMillan has commandeered the Dolphins’ run defense and is playing arguably his best pro ball to date. McMillan, a 2nd-round draft selection in 2020, is entering a contract year next season. He currently acts as one of the more consistent run defending linebackers in the league and although his raw statistics are down from last year’s 105 tackle pace, McMillan is a stud in the middle.

The other is another Dolphins defender — defensive tackle Davon Godchaux. Godchaux, who is serving as Miami’s nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award in 2019, is enjoying a career year. Through 13 games, Godchaux has totaled 60 tackles, 1.5 sacks and 6 quarterback hits — all career highs. Only Pittsburgh’s Cameron Heyward (a two-time Pro Bowler), has more combined tackles among defensive tackles through 13 games this season.

If the Dolphins want to lock in more critical players of the future, the middle of their defense is the next place to look.

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Dolphins name nominee for Walter Payton Man of the Year

The Miami Dolphins have announced DL Davon Godchaux as their nominee for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award.

The NFL has released each of the 32 nominees for the Walter Payton Man of the Year award and the Miami Dolphins’ selected choice is a difference maker on and off the gridiron. Starting defensive tackle Davon Godchaux has been officially named Miami’s nominee for the annual award. The purpose of the award, as stated on the award’s overview page, is as follows:

“The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award recognizes an NFL player for his excellence on and off the field. The award was established in 1970. It was renamed in 1999 after the late Hall of Fame Chicago Bears running back, Walter Payton. Each team nominates one player who has had a significant positive impact on his community.”

Godchaux has been a constant fixture in Miami’s extensive community outreach initiatives during the 2019 calendar year and has certainly earned the right to serve as Miami’s nominee this season.

 

Past winners of the award include Cardinals WR Larry Fitzgerald, Texans DL J.J. Watt, Cowboys TE Jason Witten and many others — including three Hall of Fame Miami Dolphins: Dan Marino, Jason Taylor and Dwight Stephenson.

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Dolphins’ defensive interior can serve as stout foundation for future

Miami’s defensive interior will serve as a strong foundation for the future of the Dolphins’ defense.

The Miami Dolphins’ roster has plenty of needs, no one can debate this to be anything other than the absolute truth. But when combing through the roster to identify pillars of long-term stability, one area of this team stands head and shoulders above the rest. The defensive interior group featuring defensive tackles Davon Godchaux and Christian Wilkins, plus linebackers Raekwon McMillan and Jerome Baker is as impressive as a group as Dolphins fans could have possibly hoped to see materialize. They’ll serve as the foundation around which the rest of Brian Flores’ defense is built.

The objective is clear: play stout up the middle and force teams to exert energy to run sideways before gaining positive yardage. From there, strong team defense and tackling habits can help ensure defensive efficiency.

Has the plan always worked this season? No. The Dallas Cowboys and Baltimore Ravens combined to hang 500 rushing yards on the Dolphins in those two games combined. But the rest of the schedule? Factoring out Miami’s porous efforts against Dallas and Baltimore (both within the first three weeks of the season), Miami is averaging 125.5 rushing yards allowed per game. Since Miami’s Week 5 bye, the defense is averaging total 360 yards per game allowed.

Elite? Certainly not. Respectable numbers? Most certainly. The Tennessee Titans are 17th in the NFL with 359.5 yards per game conceded.

And it’s no coincidence that the defensive respectability has come with the improvement of Christian Wilkins and the reassertion of power in the middle by LB Raekwon McMillan. Depth is needed behind them, that’s most certainly true. But if the Dolphins can build around this core for 2020 with edge rushers and secondary players, Miami’s defense is going to look a whole lot better next season with Brian Flores and company finally getting some firepower off the edge.

This are difficult times to be a Dolphins fan. But the young defensive core in the front seven should be a highlight of every week remaining in 2019.

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