Dolphins Notebook: Davis Honor, Player Signings, Another Coach Gone, More
The Miami Dolphins ended up with 11 selections in the 2020 NFL draft, and one of those players was just recognized as one of the top rookies in the NFL in the just-completed regular season.
The Miami Dolphins ended up with 11 selections in the 2020 NFL draft, and one of those players was just recognized as one of the top rookies in the NFL in the just-completed regular season.
"Davis' clear strength coming out of Alabama was his ability to impact the run game, and he finished the 2020 regular season as the highest-graded rookie interior defender against the run (66.8)," PFF wrote. "That result carries additional weight, given that Davis spent more time at the nose tackle position in his first year with Miami than he ever did at Alabama. The only player to line up directly over the center as a 0-technique more than Davis did (216 snaps) this season was Poona Ford.
"Davis was able to take advantage of several of those matchups against centers as a pass-rusher, as well. He and Christian Wilkins give the Dolphins a pair of young, highly-drafted pieces along the defensive line for Brian Flores to work with moving forward."
Davis ended the 2020 season with 40 tackles, the second-highest total among all NFL rookie defensive linemen. The only one who had more was second overall pick Chase Young of the Washington Football Team with 42.
The Dolphins took Davis with the 56th overall pick with their fifth selection in the 2020 draft after they had selected Tua Tagovailoa, Austin Jackson, Noah Igbinoghene and Robert Hunt.
The other interior defensive lineman on the PFF All-Rookie team was Carolina's Derrick Brown, the sixth overall pick.
ANOTHER COACH GONE
One day after the Dolphins announced the resignation of offensive coordinator Chan Gailey, the team announced it had parted ways with defensive line coach Marion Hobby.
He was among the coaches hired by Brian Flores after he became head coach in February 2019, coming over after a two-year stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Hobby coached Dolphins front seven defenders Christian Wilkins and Shaq Lawson during his second stint at Clemson (2011-16).
Hobby becomes the 11th assistant coach to leave the Dolphins since Flores was hired, after Gailey, 2019 offensive coordinator Chad O'Shea, 2019 defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, Jerry Schuplinski, Tony Oden, Karl Dorrell, Pat Flaherty, Dave DeGuglielmo, Tiquan Underwood and Matt Lombardi.
PLAYER SIGNINGS
The Dolphins announced Thursday they had signed wide receiver Kirk Merritt to a futures contract, making him the 13th player they have signed this week.
All of them ended the 2020 on the team's practice squad.
The entire list consists of:
QB Reid Sinnett
CB Javaris Davis
S Brian Cole
CB Tino Ellis
DE Tyshun Render
LB Kylan Johnson
LS Rex Sunahara
G Durval Queiroz
T Jonathan Hubbard
C Tyler Gauthier
TE Chris Myarick
DE Nick Coe
Sinnett, Render, Merritt and Myarick all were elevated from the practice squad for a regular season game.
BIG-IMPACT PLAY
Sports analytics site EdjSports, whose topics includes win probability, ranked its 10 most impactful plays of the 2020 season, and it shouldn't be a surprise that the "Facemask Bomb" was ranked in the top three.
The Ryan Fitzpatrick pass to Mack Hollins, while he was getting his facemask yanked from the side, was good for 34 yards plus 15 yards tacked on for the facemask penalty and led to the Dolphins' improbable comeback victory against the Las Vegas Raiders.
The play changed the Dolphins' game-winning chances from 6.1 percent to 81 percent, according to EdjSports.
The 75 percent difference made it the third-most impactful play behind only the Raiders' late touchdown pass from Derek Carr to Henry Ruggs III against the Jets, which produced a 93.9 GWC change, and Arizona's game-winning Hail Mary against Buffalo, which produced a 91.9 GWC difference.
