The New England Patriots had an agreement in place with defensive tackle Davon Godchaux within the first two hours of the free agency negotiation period last week.
Why?
It was an easy decision for Godchaux to join New England on a two-year deal worth $15 million.
"Of course, I felt like I had to weigh out all of my options, but it was a no-brainer for me because of the scheme," Godchaux said Wednesday on a video conference call. "I'm familiar with the scheme from Brian Flores in Miami. So, it's kind of the same scheme. I played this scheme in college too, so it was kind of a no-brainer for me. I feel like I fit best in this scheme. I thrived in this scheme. I can play in any scheme, but I felt this scheme best fit my skill-set. And being able to be coached by arguably the greatest coach of all-time, that was a no-brainer."
Godchaux's head coach over the last two years with the Miami Dolphins was Flores, New England's former linebackers coach. Now Godchaux will get to play for Flores' tutor in Patriots head coach Bill Belichick.
Godchaux is expected to fill a major need for the Patriots at nose tackle. New England was left without an obvious fit at the all-important role last season after losing Danny Shelton in free agency. Beau Allen, a 2020 free agent signing, was expected to take over the position but suffered an injury early in training camp and never played a game for the Patriots.
Now the 6-foot-3, 311-pound Godchaux, who missed 11 games last season with a biceps injury, is expected to take over. The Patriots also added Henry Anderson and Montravius Adams on their defensive line. They lost Adam Butler to the Miami Dolphins but Lawrence Guy, a New England mainstay since 2017, is still available in free agency.
