Report: Godchaux Could Be Done for Season

Davon Godchaux's season could be over, and so could his time with the Miami Dolphins.

The fourth-year defensive tackle sustained a biceps injury in the 43-17 victory against the San Francisco 49ers that could be season-ending, according to a league source and first reported via Twitter by NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo.

#Dolphins DT Davon Godchaux suffered a biceps injury that could be season-ending, sources tell me and @TomPelissero. Godchaux, a former fifth-round pick who has been a full-time starter in Miami the last few years, is getting a second opinion on the injury.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) October 13, 2020

Godchaux is hoping to be able to return late in the season, though the three-month timetable for his type of operation would put it at Jan. 13, meaning that would be a long shot at best.

Godchaux has started each of the Dolphins' 37 games since the start of the 2018 season after joining the team as a fifth-round pick in 2017, so this news obviously is significant.

It also has short-term and long-term ramifications.

For the short term, the Dolphins lose one of their big bodies in the middle of the defensive line, but more significantly one of the leaders on defense. Godchaux is the only defensive lineman on the team whose arrival preceded that of head coach Brian Flores.

“Working with him is a treat," said second-year defensive line coach Marion Hobby. "Every coach wants to work with someone who really loves to play football. He’s very conscientious about practice. He’s very conscientious about his play. And one thing is he’s a great leader. His leadership in the room is second to none. You can always count on him as a leader, always can count on him as a person. It’s big time. He’s really progressed and I really enjoy coaching him.”

From a pure football standpoint, an obvious replacement for Godchaux already on the roster is rookie second-round pick Raekwon Davis.

Davis looked very good in training camp, though that hasn't translated to the field in the regular season yet.

Davis averaged a little more than 18 snaps per game in the first five games and has two tackles and three assists.

He did not appear on the stat sheet in either of the past two games.

Aside from Godchaux and Davis, the other players listed as defensive tackles on the Dolphins roster are Christian Wilkins and Zach Sieler.

Wilkins already is a starter for the Dolphins, while Sieler is a versatile lineman who started at defensive end against the 49ers in place of injured Shaq Lawson.

Sieler looked to be headed for increased playing time regardless after he's continued to impress.

Godchaux has 16 tackles, including one for loss, and two quarterback hits in 2020. He played a season-low 28 snaps against San Francisco and had one tackle, one assist and one quarterback hit.

“His leadership, his work ethic, all that stuff has been great," defensive coordinator Josh Boyer said Tuesday. "He’s been a mentor to the younger guys. On top of that, he’s been able to give us some production on the field. Nothing but good things to say about him and like everybody else, he’s continuing to strive to make himself the best player he can possibly be.”

Where the situation gets tricky for Godchaux is that this is his contract year.

He's the final year of the contract he signed coming out of LSU. He said in the spring he was focusing only on the upcoming season and not his contract situation.

The Dolphins have signed players to extensions regularly over the past couple of years but declined to do that with Godchaux or anybody else in 2020, and the uncertainty caused by the COVID-19 pandemic obviously has played a big role in that.

The defensive scheme also doesn't necessarily feature defensive linemen, so the Dolphins weren't likely to pay him big money in the first place. The injury would only complicate Godchaux's quest for a lucrative free agent offer.

Godchaux has taken an active role in South Florida — he was selected as the Dolphins' 2019 Man of the Year — but clearly he'll be looking for the best deal possible.