ESPN picks Dolphins’ defensive lineman to have biggest bounce back
In 2021, the Miami Dolphins just missed the postseason with a 9-8 record. It was the fifth year in a row that they were on the outside of the playoffs, but the second straight season that they had a winning record.
During a season filled with ups and downs, there were a few Dolphins that didn’t play their best ball.
Recently, ESPN had their writers pick a player from each team that could bounce back from their struggles last year. For Miami, Marcel Louis-Jacques chose defensive tackle Raekwon Davis, who finished 2021 with a Pro Football Focus grade of 36.5.
What went wrong: Davis suffered a minor knee injury in Week 1 last season that kept him out for four weeks. After splitting time in the A-gap and B-gap as a rookie, Davis played far more nose tackle in 2021. The 6-foot-7 defensive tackle struggled mightily to stay low against frequent center-guard double-teams at that size. His run-defense grade dropped from 66.8 in 2020 to 36.1. — PFF
Outlook for 2022: Davis’ relative ineffectiveness was somewhat overshadowed by the emergence of Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler as a formidable interior duo. Cutting some weight in the offseason and a reenergized locker room should have Davis in position to succeed in 2022.
PFF is a tricky system. Obviously, it’s not perfect, and in this case, Davis’ number seems to be pretty low. In the four games that Davis missed due to injury, the Dolphins allowed 136.8 rushing yards per game. In the final 13 games with him, that number dropped to just 101.5 rushing yards per game.
Whether the PFF grade is fair or not, Davis would like to be better, and fans would like to see him improve as well. That’s not an unfair expectation for a defensive lineman entering his third year.
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