Is Cornerback Dolphins Biggest Question Mark?
While cornerback has been addressed, are there still big question marks?
Cornerback is a key position, but with the Pats in the division, it’s even more crucial.
The Dolphins came into the off-season will a lot of holes to fill on their roster, and after a few key in-house departures through free-agency, the Dolphins had new holes created as well – cornerback was one of them.
And while the Dolphins spent a lot of resources building up both the offensive and defensive lines, to which most sports betting fans will agree that those two positions have been improved, there is still work to be done on the back-end of the defense.
The Dolphins made a big move in signing Safety Abdul-Quddus to pair with their Pro Bowl Safety Reshad Jones, so this should improve the top of Miami’s secondary.
But, the Dolphins still have a big question mark over their cornerback situation. Whether those question marks become exclamations for how good or how deficient the secondary will be won’t be revealed till preseason.
The only real competition for “squad of most concern” is running back and linebacker. As for running back, they have Ajayi and if you simply judge it in terms of quantity of players needed, you rarely see more than one back on the field at a time. Conversely, in a pass happy league, having weakness at the cornerback position is a difficult problem to overcome because a defense needs bare minimum 2 to 3 cornerbacks on the field every play. And with every team searching high and low to add them to their roster, acquiring quality corners is like fighting over a piece of meat with 31 starving wolves.
Linebacker was the next closest squad in my opinion. But, by all accounts Alonso is completely healthy and in a system that suits him. He is also paired with Jenkins who has proved to be competent and at times very good. An injury could stress their depth and possible make this unit the Achilles heel. But, they do have some proven quantities with Vigil, Hull and Misi. Jordan also lurks as a possible wildcard as well.
As for corner, the Dolphins need two quality players on the field at all times, and very often they’ll need need a darn good nickel back as well. Then of course, you need quality back-ups for the dime, for players to take breathers, and injuries.
There is a reason why the best cornerbacks in the league get paid more then the best running backs in the league – it’s such a premium position that you need multiples of in order to succeed.
Dolphins emphasis on pass rush will certainly help their cornerbacks out.
Now, I know Miami drafted Howard in the second round. However, the reality is that it’s difficult for any rookie cornerback to be a quality starter on the first day. Even if Howard is the answer, there is going to be some big bumps along the way. In addition, we are also counting on Byron Maxwell to have a bounce back season for last season. Fortunately for his chances, this year he will be in a system that is far more conducive to his skill set, so that’s a huge plus in his favor. But, even if both Howard and Maxwell play lights out, after those two players, the Dolphins have a bunch of unproven youngsters such as Bobby McCain, Tony Lippett, Chimdi Chekwa, Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, and Tyler Patmon. All of these players are basically works in progress, so there isn’t much certainty over them being able to provide quality depth, much less start.
So, considering all this, this is why I believe the cornerback core is Miami’s biggest weakness.
A very good pass rush will mask coverage deficiencies, but even with this knowledge, Miami has already discussed the idea of bringing in a veteran like Leon Hall or Antonio Cromartie. So they aren’t totally comfortable with their roster. Another option Miami might take is to wait until cuts come late in the summer, and hope for some luck. It will be one more interesting subplot in the 2016 Dolphins soap opera of “How The Orange And Aqua Turns” that is shaping up to be one of the more anticipated season in quite some time. So, what are the rest of the Miami Dolphins News fans thoughts about the Dolphins cornerback situation?
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…no question the OL will be better …but then that’s measuring from a very low bar, eh
…I just didn’t see anything from Ajayi last year that gives me any confidence he is the man …its true that the OL was part of the problem …its also true that Miller ran behind them significantly better than Ajayi …so I’m not convinced
…I just don’t see Cromarti as an answer at CB …I think he’s well past his peak and dbs fade fast …rather see them give the snaps to Lippet and give him the opportunity to prove who he can be …if he fails, then CB is top of the draft next year …if they go with someone like Cromarti, I think we stifle Lippet/McCain w/o getting an answer on them this season …then we have to use a top pick next year at CB …a pick we may well need to get a top QB/LB/DE
…Lippet was/is a gamble …he has little experience as a db …converted wr with the athleticism and skill set but zero experience as a rookie cb last year …that’s a big learning curve but he looked pretty good against NE in the last game and they did pick on him
…they are going to have some extra picks to enable a trade-up if Tannehill stinks it up …Cromarti is a one year wonder at best …so if we don’t have an answer on Lippet, we’ll have to draft a top round CB anyway …rather know and not waste a high pick there if we really dont need it
…sound commentary …but I’m hoping Lippet and McCain are ready to contribute much more this year …we’ll see
…in the meantime, I remain more concerned about the offense …both the OL and the RBs remain a work in progress …we’re still missing a starting guard, not to mention quality backups …and with Albert, Pouncy, and James recent injury history, that could well prove disastrous
…at RB I just don’t get much of the faith in Ajayi as a #1 ball carrier …RBs usually show as pups and he didn’t …imnsho of course …the rookie may be a good situational back but he wasn’t an every down back or even a starting back at Alabama …so again, I think we need someone like Foster in the mix
…hoping they don’t bring in Cromartie at CB …think his best is past him (yes, thats true of Foster too) …and it would be a rather loud vote of no-confidence in our younger dbs …but you’re of course right in your fundamentals …if our CBs suck again this year, its going to be hard to improve the W-L record
Yeah, Cromar is a better man back…and as for Ajayi, I think his best work is between the tackles and we just couldn’t block there. Also, the one cut-cut back system will let him shine. I just worry about his durability. RB is def. and area of concern…I think with all the O-Line pieces, unless a A-Bomb gets dropped in the line we should be better than last year. Still would like one more good G though…But let’s say Bushrod starts right and Tunsil starts left pouncy C and Urbik LG and Turner RG we’d still be better than lest season…so Miami could take the loss of both starters at T and still be better. They have a lot of flexibility in my opinion.