Miami Dolphins 2015 Needs: Secondary
By Brian Miller
The Miami Dolphins have several free agents to be in the secondary. R.J. Stanford and T.J. Heath are the two corners but at safety it gets a little thicker. Jordan Kovacs, Jimmy Smith, Louis Delmas, and Michael Thomas are all set to hit free agency although Thomas and Kovacs are exclusive rights free agents.
Needless to say the Dolphins will need to address the secondary in free agency, the draft, or both.
Brent Grimes has one corner spot locked down and Reshad Jones is handling one of the safety positions as well but on the other side of each of them are holes filled with question marks. While Jamar Taylor played well last year he doesn’t look ready to take over a starring role opposite Grimes. Will Davis was playing well too but like Taylor he is still not ready for that type of starting gig. Of course as of today the Dolphins still have Cortland Finnegan but Finnegan is likely to become a cap casualty this off-season.
At safety it’s a similar situation with Louis Delmas not likely to return unless he comes back on another one year deal. Delmas played well last year but 2014 marked the 2nd consecutive season that Delmas missed significant time. Michael Thomas looks like an up and comer but is he ready for a full time role? Not yet.
The question is whether or not the Dolphins will try and get a corner and/or safety in free agency. There are options but the Dolphins will likely wait until the market has died down and then try and sign another Finnegan/Delmas type to a low end performance deal. It was a similar deal they bartered with Grimes on when he first came to Miami. Unfortunately it’s putting a bandaid on the situation but if Taylor, Davis, and Thomas can accelerate their performance the Dolphins could put pieces on the field to be competitive in another year from within their own talent pool. They just aren’t able to do that yet.
Cornerbacks
Patriots Darrelle Revis, 29 years old ($20M Team Option)
Chargers Brandon Flowers, 28 years old
Packers Tramon Williams, 31 years old
Texans Kareem Jackson, 26 years old
Saints Patrick Robinson, 27 years old
Cardinals Antonio Cromartie, 30 years old
Eagles Bradley Fletcher, 28 years old
Giants Walter Thurmond, 26 years old
Seahawks Byron Maxwell, 26 years old
Jets Kyle Wilson, 27 years old
Colts Darius Butler, 28 years old
Buccaneers Mike Jenkins, 29 years old
Falcons Javier Arenas, 27 years old
Raiders Chimdi Chekwa, 26 years old (RFA)
Safeties
Patriots FS Devin McCourty, 27 years old
Giants SS Antrel Rolle, 32 years old
Dolphins FS Louis Delmas, 27 years old
Eagles FS Nate Allen, 27 years old
Broncos FS Rahim Moore, 25 years old
Patriots SS Patrick Chung, 27 years old
Raiders FS Charles Woodson, 38 years old
Giants FS Stevie Brown, 27 years old
Jets SS Dawan Landry, 31 years old
Titans George Wilson, 33 years old
Bears Chris Conte, 25 years old
Bills Da’Norris Searcy, 26 years old
Giants Quintin Demps, 29 years old
Jets FS Jaiquawn Jarrett, 25 years old (RFA)
Redskins Brandon Meriwether, 30 years old
Bengals Taylor Mays, 26 years old