A Dolphins starter who badly wants to return, and Miami’s options if they decide otherwise
Two days after the season ended, impending free agent Raekwon Davis made clear that he has no particular zeal for testing the free agent market and very much wants to stay with the Dolphins.
That’s certainly a possibility; Davis has been the team’s starting nose tackle for four years, and played a part in the Dolphins finishing eighth in yards allowed per carry this past season (3.8).
The Dolphins are going to need to spend big money to keep free agent Christian Wilkins. Miami would like to keep him and hopes to sign him to a long-term contract, with the franchise tag also available if the sides cannot strike a deal.
So the sense is they’re not going to spend huge money at nose tackle.
Pro Football Focus says this about Davis: “The big nose tackle can have a delayed get-off and tends to cede ground in the run game more often than you’d like to see, often standing up too upright — which is understandable at 6-foot-7 — and not having a low enough pad level to anchor and drive.
“Nonetheless, there are still flashes here and there of what made Davis a second-round selection. He does well to hold his spot, read and react and, occasionally, get late pressure on quarterbacks after shuffling across the formation.”
Davis could return on a reasonable contract. If not, here would be some of the Dolphins’ free agent options among 300-pound behemoths:
▪ The Colts’ Grover Stewart: Probably too pricey for Miami. PFF rates him 51st among free agents, noting “Stewart served a six-game suspension this season for performance-enhancing drugs but returned in Week 14 for the stretch run. On/off splits are largely noise, but Indianapolis ranked in the top half of the NFL in expected points allowed per rush with Stewart and dead last in the games without him in the lineup.
“Stewart’s presence frees up rushers around him because he takes on double teams and clogs up the middle.”
▪ Houston’s Teiar Tart: The FIU product started nine games for Tennessee before being waived in December, after missing a game due to personal reasons. Houston then added him.
PFF ranks Tart eighth among impending free agent defensive tackles with this comment:
“Tart had a very strange and tumultuous 2023 season with the Titans after the two sides were unable to come to terms on an extension before the year. Tart played on the second-round restricted free agent tender for $4.3 million, but his effort and focus was questioned at times by the coaching staff before he was ultimately waived ahead of Week 15. The Texans claimed Tart, with two other teams putting in claims as well, so clearly the concerns weren’t so bad as to scare off suitors. On the field, Tart is difficult to displace with just one blocker in the run game.”
▪ Buffalo’s DaQuan Jones: He missed much of the season with a pectoral injury but returned for the playoffs. He’s still a very effective player; the question is whether his age (32) hurts his market value.
PFF projects he will get $6 million, noting:
“Jones was in the midst of a career year to kick off his age-32 season in 2023, generating 15 quarterback pressures — including 2.5 sacks — on just 80 pass-rush snaps through Week 4 [before his injury]. He was a perfect fit on a Bills defensive line that has a long list of pass rushers who all command attention and can chase quarterbacks into each other’s laps.”
▪ The Cowboys’ Jonathan Hankins: Had 27 tackles and three sacks as a Dallas starter on a Dallas defense that wasn’t very good against the run. PFF ranked Hanks 90th of 130 defensive tackles. Davis was rated 79th. So this would not be an upgrade.
▪ The 49ers’ Javon Kinlaw: The former 14th overall pick of the 2020 draft hasn’t lived up to expectations but has had some moments. He had six starts for the 49ers this season and had 3.5 sacks. PFF rated him 90th of 130 defensive tackles.
“Kinlaw profiled as a freakish athlete with a lack of refinement, and he may have relied too much on his athleticism to start his career — without much success,” PFF said.
▪ The Cardinals’ Leki Fotu: The 334-pounder had 28 tackles and 2.5 sacks in 9 starts for Arizona. PFF rated him 117th of 130 defensive tackles.
▪ The 49ers’ Sebastian Joseph-Day: He was a starter for the Chargers for most of the season and had 31 tackles and three sacks before being cut Dec. 21 by the Chargers. The 49ers immediately added him as a backup.
▪ The Bears’ Justin Jones: Had 49 tackles and 4.5 sacks for Chicago. PFF rated him 107th of 130 interior defenders.
▪ Cincinnati backup Josh Tupou: The 340-pounder has started 15 games for the Bengals over the past three seasons.
▪ The Chargers’ Austin Johnson: Wouldn’t be an upgrade. He was a starter for a bad Chargers defense and PFF rated him 117th of 130 nose tackles.
Meanwhile, Miami has until March 5 to decide whether to use the $20.9 million franchise tag on Wilkins. But from all indications, the team wants to keep him.
PFF ranks Wilkins the No. 3 defense tackle in free agency, behind Kansas City’s Chris Jones and Baltimore’s Justin Madubuike.
PFF notes “Wilkins is as good a run defender as any interior defensive lineman in the NFL, setting career highs in every pass-rushing category — including pass-rush win rate, pressure rate, sacks, quarterback hits and pressures.”
