Something to make you feel better about the impending departure of Jimmy Wilson
The Dolphins have just agreed to a 2-year contract with the former Steelers Cornerback Brice McCain. The contract is worth $5.5 million with $3 million guaranteed. McCain started 9 games for the Steelers last season and was able to come down with 3 interceptions and 6 passes defended.
On the surface, there is nothing spectacular about McCain, and this signing, because even though he has been in the league for 6 years he has only started in a total of 19 games. Most of the boys at the local sportsbook and the pay per head review sites would not think of McCain as the type of player that would be able to fill the void left by Cortland Finnegan, however when you sit down and really think about this signing, then you will see that this move was actually made to replace the pending departure of the Dolphins nickel cornerback Jimmy Wilson.
The Dolphins organization is very fond of Jimmy Wilson, however, it appears that so are other teams in this league. He already has a scheduled visit with the San Diego Chargers, and even though the Dolphins would like to re-sign their former 7th round pick from Montana in 2011, they are not prepared to get into a bidding war over him. He has been a reliable player for the Dolphins the last few years, and he is the type of player that all coaches would love to have on their team. It would be nice to show some loyalty to a player that the Dolphins drafted 4 years ago and reward him for his improvement and dedication, but again the NFL is a business, and at this moment the Dolphins’ business is a bit cash strapped, so they can not afford to be so generous.
McCain provides nice depth for a unit that was severely thinned out by injuries last season. And even though he is not a full-time starter, he received a lot of snaps last season, and his 3 interceptions showcase his ability to get his hands on the football. He is a feisty guy, that will provide some good competition for the cornerback spot opposite Grimes, or if Wilson does find greener pastures than McCain will most likely be the Dolphins starting Nickel cornerback.
This will probably not be the last cornerback that the Dolphins sign this off-season, and unfortunately, it appears that Miami has already succumbed to the idea of losing Jimmy Wilson to another team.
Do Miami Dolphins news fans think that McCain can do as good as or better than Jimmy Wilson in the nickel spot, or is this a downgrade for the Phins?
Phins so far in FA:
Paid way too much for Suh. No way he’s worth 19 mil a year with cap hit next year of 28.5 mil.
No replacement for Clay if he leaves. Cameron is not the answer due to concussions.
Replacement for Wilson as nickel back.
Still gaping holes at G, MLB, Corner, Safety, power RB, and now possible TE. Also need backup LT if Albert is not ready or gets hurt again (likely). That is way too many holes to fill in the draft.
Except for D. Murry, no really good players left in FA still unsigned.
Sorry if I don’t share everyone elses excitement.
Suh is counting only $6 million this year against the cap. yes he will be counting 28.5 million next year but the cap for each team is going to be almost 20 million higher, so he is not taking up as much cap space as you think. Ross is the one spending this money, not the fans. And there is still money left to spend on a more positions. Wilson played pretty much this whole season as the nickel back, so it is a swap McCain for Wilson, not much of a lose of talent their, maybe even an upgrade. Damien Williams was only a rookie and don’t be surprised if he gets more carries next year, because he played well last year and the coaches like him
Suh cost this year is small. Moreover dynasty teams and for that matter Superbowl teams always have a few players who are best-in-class with long term HOF potential. Miami had Wake. One great player. Now with Suh they have two. There are others with the potential to rise to be great players – Tannehill over time, Wallace (which is why I hope we keep him), maybe Vernon, maybe in the right defense Dion Jordan (has the physical attributed but not the performance so far). But Suh makes two. Two is better than one. I hope we bring in more and grow the players we have to bring this level up to the 4-6 great players level one thinks of when one thinks of the great teams.
I will not miss Wilson’s dumb penalties and missed tackles. Let some other team have him.