On this day we sit just 92 days away from the New Orleans Saints regular season opener. The Saints will hit the road to start 2026, traveling to face the Detroit Lions on Sunday, Sept. 13. As the team heads towards training camp, defensive tackle Davon Godchaux wears the number 92 jersey.
Godchaux was brought in via trade last offseason to fill a hole at nose tackle. After an up and down year, the Saints brought plenty of other competition in this offseason. Our Saints Player of the Day series continues with a look at Godchaux's career to date.
Name (age): Davon Godchaux (31)
Hometown: Plaquemine, La
Position: Defensive tackle
Height, weight: 6-foot-3, 330 pounds
College: LSU Tigers
Relative Athletic Score: 2.52
Drafted: Round 5, 178 overall in 2017 ( Miami Dolphins )
NFL experience: 9 years (1 with Saints)
2026 salary cap hit: $7.14 million
An all-state defensive lineman at Plaquemine Senior High School in Louisiana, Godchaux stayed close to home with his choice of Louisiana State over recruiting pitches from other SEC powers. He'd become a starter midway through his freshman year, playing both end and inside for the LSU defense. Over his last two seasons with the Tigers, Godchaux had 12.5 sacks and 20 tackles for loss.
The Miami Dolphins selected Godchaux with the 34th choice in Round 5 of a loaded 2017 draft. He appeared in 15 games as a rookie, starting five and playing over 50% of the defensive snaps. In four years with Miami, Godchaux had 3 sacks with 19 pressures and 12 tackles for negative yardage. He'd hit free agency in 2021, where he'd be signed by the New England Patriots . Godchaux played four seasons in New England. Over that time he'd have 2.5 sacks with 16 pressures and 8 tackles for loss while averaging around 60% of the defensive snaps.
New New Orleans dealt a 2026 seventh round draft choice to the Patriots during the 2025 offseason to acquire Godchaux. It was hoped that he'd take over the nose tackle spot in new defensive coordinator Brandon Staley's 3-4 scheme for a run defense that had been abysmal the previous two seasons. While the Saints did show improvement against the run, fairly little of that was due to Godchaux's contributions. Godchaux did appear in all 17 contests but played 456 defensive snaps, 42% of the team's total and the second fewest of his career. He had 43 tackles, the fewest of any of his full eight seasons since his rookie year, while recording only two of those for negative yardage.
Davon Godchaux had some flashes of what the Saints expected against the run, but not often enough. As a result, New Orleans used a second round draft choice on defensive tackle Christen Miller and brought in three other undrafted rookies at the position. Along with the return of Vernon Broughton from injury and the re-signing of John Ridgeway III , Godchaux will likely need more than just flashes to hold onto his spot on the 2026 roster.
This article originally appeared on Saints Wire: Countdown to Kickoff: Davon Godchaux is the Saints Player of Day 92
