Important Update Regarding Davis' Departure from Indy

Defensive tackle Raekwon Davis was a second-round pick of the Miami Dolphins in the 2020 NFL draft

Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle Raekwon Davis (98) tackles Chicago Bears running back D'Andre Swift (4) Sunday, Sept. 22, 2024, during a game at Lucas Oil Stadium. | Grace Hollars/IndyStar / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Turns out there likely is more to former Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Raekwon Davis being released this week than a simple cost-cutting measure by the Indianapolis Colts.

Per the NFL transaction wire, the Colts terminated the contract of Davis, the former Dolphins second-round pick, with a non-football illness designation.

And this is where we mention that Davis' first training camp with the Colts last summer began with him being placed on NFI and upon his return he said it was related to high blood pressure.

"I'm so grateful [for the medical staff] catching that type of problem because we've been seeing so much with high-blood pressure, with heart attacks and things like that," Davis said last August, per ESPN. "So, it's a great thing they caught that. It was a hassle to get back, but I'm back trying to ... work my way back into shape."

The question now with Davis is as much about whether his career could be in jeopardy based on the latest NFI designation as much as it about what team he could join in 2025.

In his only season with Indianapolis, Davis played all 17 games in a reserve role and finish with 15 tackles, including one for loss. He played a career-low 30 percent of the team's defensive snaps, this after his lowest total with the Dolphins in 2023 when he played 45 percent of the snaps.

In the Pro Football Focus rankings, Davis was ranked 113th out of 117 interior defensive linemen.

Because the Dolphins have three of their 2024 defensive linemen scheduled to become unrestricted free agents next week, maybe a return to Miami is a possibility as a space eater in the middle of the defensive line if Davis plays in 2025. Wherever he plays, Davis isn't likely to come close to the contract he got with the Colts last offseason.

Davis was among the seven players who left the Dolphins as unrestricted free agents last offseason, along with DeShon Elliott, Robert Hunt, Brandon Jones, Andrew Van Ginkel, Christian Wilkins and Cedrick Wilson Jr.

The first four in that group had a very good first season with their new team, especially Van Ginkel, who earned some NFL Defensive Player of the Year votes. Wilkins, of course, had his first season with the Las Vegas Raiders sidetracked by a foot injury.

DAVIS' TIME WITH THE DOLPHINS

After joining the Dolphins as one of the team's two second-round picks in 2020, Davis started 48 games for the team in his four seasons.

But his role diminished greatly in 2023 with the arrival of Vic Fangio as defensive coordinator when he started a then-career-low seven games along with his lower snap count.

In retrospect, Davis is among the long line of disappointing second-round picks of the past dozen years.

While the Dolphins hit with Jarvis Landry, Xavien Howard, Robert Hunt, Jevon Holland and, to a certain degree, Mike Gesicki, they had mis-hits or even whiffs with Daniel Thomas, Jonathan Martin, Jamar Taylor, Raekwon McMillan, Liam Eichenberg and so far Cam Smith.