As his rookie season nears end, Dolphins’ Raekwon Davis sees ‘big difference’ in himself
Raekwon Davis admits he got caught up in the heat of the moment. It was moments after his first career NFL game, a Dolphins 21-11 road loss to the New England Patriots, when Davis and fellow defensive tackle Christian Wilkins got into a scuffle with Patriots quarterback Cam Newton.
“It was just a lot of emotions,” Davis said Wednesday. “That’s all it was. Just emotions. I think we’re past that.”
That moment? Yes. They’re past that. That team and that quarterback? There’s still one more round to go.
The Dolphins (8-5) host the Patriots (6-7) at 1 p.m. Sunday in a game with playoff implications for the Dolphins. Miami most likely needs to win at least two of its final three games to reach the postseason for the first time since 2016.
The Dolphins’ late run of success — seven wins in the past nine games — has come primarily through its defense. Davis is ready to show once again just how far he and the defense has come since that season opener.
“That was my first game starting as a rookie,” Davis said. “Anybody can tell the difference. It’s a big difference now.”
Davis, the Dolphins’ second-round pick this year, has made his mark early in his NFL career. He definitely has the size at 6-7 and 330 pounds. He also is picking up the production on the field, too.
His 29 tackles rank second only to the Washington Football Team’s Chase Young (33) and the San Francisco 49ers’ Javon Kinlaw (31) and among rookie defensive linemen. Pro Football Focus gives Davis a 71.8 rating for the season, which leads Dolphins defensive linemen this year.
“I think the thing that impresses me the most is his work ethic and his effort,” defensive coordinator Josh Boyer said. “We’ve talked about this guy a lot this year. He really loves football, and he’s doing everything he can to get better and a lot of that is his work ethic and his effort. I can’t say enough good things about that. He plays really hard and he works really hard and he’s constantly striving to improve.”
His main contributions have come on run defense, a facet of the Dolphins’ game that has improved considerably since that Week 1 drubbing. The Patriots torched Miami’s defense for 217 yards on the ground in the season opener. Since then, the Dolphins are allowing an average of 112.2 rushing yards per game. They have held four of their past five opponents to fewer than 100 rushing yards.
“I just know I’ve got to make that tackle,” Davis said. “If the running back runs through my gap, that’s my play to make, so I’ve got to make that play. If they get like 5 yards, [outside linebackers coach] Austin Clark is going to see me on the sideline.”
But the Patriots have something none of those five opponents had: One of the top running quarterbacks in the league in Newton.
The 31-year-old is third among quarterbacks with 451 rushing yards and has scored 11 touchdowns with his legs. He ran for 75 yards and two scores in that Week 1 matchup with the Dolphins.
Only Lamar Jackson (793) and Kyler Murray (712) have more rushing yards than Newton this season. Murray also ran for 106 yards and a touchdown against the Dolphins earlier this season.
So what will be Davis’ plan of attack to contain Newton?
“Just getting a stop,” Davis said. “We know he likes to rush and he’s a pretty good quarterback. He can rush; he can throw. Just being where I’m supposed to be at, to be honest with you. I’m just trying to keep him [in the pocket] and try to make him throw the ball, basically. We don’t want him rushing.”
This story was originally published December 17, 2020 at 11:19 AM.
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