Miami finds help in secondary, awarded Bene Benwikere off waivers
By Tyler Olson
It didn’t take long for Bene Benwikere to find a new home in the NFL. The Miami Dolphins have been awarded the former Carolina Panthers cornerback off waivers this afternoon.
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It’s been a tumultuous start to the 2016 NFL season for the Dolphins in large part because of their secondary. The position has been a revolving door of injuries and inconsistency since training camp.
The biggest disappointment has been Byron Maxwell. After acquiring the former “Legion of Boom” defender in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles this offseason, Maxwell has been awful. That’s all that needs to be said.
Rookie Xavien Howard has struggled with a knee injury since mini camps in June and missed yesterday’s game against the Tennessee Titans. He’s otherwise experience growing pains in his first NFL season.
Bobby McCain and Tony Lippett have also seen a lot of playing time but neither are prepared to start.
Former #Panthers CB Bene Benwikere was awarded to the #Dolphins off waivers, source said. Where you’d expect.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 10, 2016
The move to bring in Benwikere is a clear effort to replace Maxwell as a starting corner. That is, of course, just my opinion. Lippett looked far better than Maxwell in every facet of the game yesterday.
Benwikere will be looking to recover from his last start, one in which he gave up 300 receiving yards to Julio Jones. If he starts this upcoming weekend it won’t get any easier; Miami plays Antonio Brown and the Pittsburgh Steelers in just six days.
Head coach Adam Gase needs this move to pay off before the season gets out of hand. Benwikere was set to replace Josh Norman in Carolina so the potential is there. The pressure, however, may have been his tipping point.
Benwikere had 10 tackles and one interception before his release last week.