The Dolphins have Zach Sieler locked down via the extension he signed last year, but they are losing their other two defensive line starters.
Following Christian Wilkins‘ defection to the Raiders, Raekwon Davis is leaving as well.
Davis is heading to Indianapolis, with ESPN’s Adam Schefter reporting the young D-tackle is signing a two-year deal worth $14M in base value.
A four-year Dolphins cog, Davis started 48 games for the team. Despite the Colts re-signing Grover Stewart on Monday to stay in place alongside DeForest Buckner, the Colts evidently viewed this as a big enough need, and another notable veteran contract became necessary.
Davis only graded as Pro Football Focus’ 79th interior defender among 130 qualifiers, far behind Buckner (12th) and Stewart (22nd). Still, the free agent addition was better than the Colts’ DT3 from last season, as Taven Bryan ranked 99th on that same list.
Bryan is currently a free agent, so Davis will likely slide into his spot in the depth chart. Bryan, Eric Johnson, and Adetomiwa Adebawore accounted for 740 snaps last season, so Davis could see a significant role on Gus Bradley’s defense, even as a backup.
With Wilkins and Davis gone (and Emmanuel Ogbah having been released), the Dolphins are lacking depth on their defensive line.
Other than Sieler, former UDFA Brandon Pili is the only other player who played defensive tackle for the Dolphins last season, and he was limited to 30 snaps (all coming in the first four weeks).
Miami will surely look to add reinforcement either via free agency or the draft.
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