Don’t be shocked if Tyeler Davison winds up back in Atlanta in 2020

The Falcons will need to colonize Mars if they want to appease their fan base between now and the beginning of training camp. Because an effective, cost-effective method for rapid neutralization of high-velocity particles found in cosmic rays likely won’t be discovered in the next 7 months, Thomas Dimitroff will just have to gather his extensive collection of multicolored bike shorts, suck it up, and make do.

So what’s the front office going to do about defensive tackle Tyeler Davison? In short, they’ll re-sign him, if they’re smart.

After playing relatively well on a 1 year deal he signed last spring, Davison will hit free agency in the not so distant future. He graded out as a stout run defender and a mediocre pass rusher in 2019. Davison only generated 12 pressures (10 sacks, 1 sack, 1 hit) over 257 pass rush snaps, which isn’t great, but again, Davison more than made up for any pass rush deficiencies with his play against the run. That’s been a theme during Davison’s 5 year career: he excels as a run defender and doesn’t move the needle as a pass rusher. He’s found a niche and to his credit, he fills it nicely.

Davis had 22 stops in 2019, missing 3 tackles all season. (Public service announcement: If you’re an NFL ball carrier, don’t let Davison get his hands on you, because he’s only missed 8 tackles in 5 seasons.)

Davison came super cheap in 2019, signing for a base salary of $805k. At 27, he’s still got gas in the tank and he’s atypically consistent in terms of what he brings to the table. Put simply, he’s a known commodity that shouldn’t break the bank; what’s not to like?

Look, I’m not saying Davison is an elite run defender, because he isn’t. He isn’t a long-term solution to the Falcons’ defensive tackle problem by any stretch of the imagination. But he’s solid; he’s good. He’s a rotational piece you won’t regret having around, especially if he comes cheap, and there’s every reason to think he will.