Miami Dolphins preview: veteran cornerbacks

Is Big Foot real? Did Atlantis ever exist? Who will the Miami Dolphins start at second cornerback behind Brent Grimes? The mystery hasn’t been solved for years now and Dolphin fans are anxiously waiting for an answer. There are seven cornerbacks not named Grimes on the Dolphins’ roster, but only four veterans will have a real chance at claiming the second starting job. Some are old faces and some are new to Miami. Their names are Will Davis, Brice McCain, Jamar Taylor and Zack Bowman. I will review each of these players’ 2014 season and predict their potential contributions in 2015.

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Will Davis

The 93rd (third round) of the 2013 NFL Draft, Will Davis (5’11, 190) is entering his third season. Davis, a Utah State alum, is coming off a torn ACL from mid-November in 2014 and, according to the Miami Herald, he will be ready for preseason. He’s going to need to prove this year that he is healthy while also raising his game. The Dolphins will most likely keep Davis on the roster for the 2015 season and ease him back into the rotation. However, before the knee injury in week 11 against the Buffalo Bills, Davis only registered 17 tackles and no interceptions on the mere 138 snaps he played for the 2014 season. There’s no question that Davis is going to need to live up to his relatively high draft pedigree to stay in the Dolphins long-term plans. I expect Davis to fill the same reserve/special teams role he has the last two years.

Brice McCain

Coming off a solid one-year stint with the Pittsburgh Steelers where he had 3 interceptions, Brice McCain (5’9, 187) signed a two-year, $5.5 million contract with the Miami Dolphins this off-season including $3 million guaranteed. With that kind of money, there’s no question McCain’s roster spot is secure barring injury. Out of all the veteran cornerbacks below Grimes on the depth chart, McCain had the best 2014 season and is the arguably the most talented of the bunch. His combination of athleticism and experience in zone coverage with the Houston Texans and Steelers will force McCain into the Dolphins’ cornerback rotation. He’s a smaller cornerback whose best role would be slot corner, but Miami’s dire need for a boundary cornerback might force him to occasionally play on the perimeter. In 2015, I expect McCain to earn the third corner/nickel back role, but switch between the inside and outside throughout the season. His seventh season should produce similar numbers to his 2014 campaign behind our monster defensive front.

Jamar Taylor

To say that Jamar Taylor (5’10, 195) has had a rough start to his career so far is an understatement. Taylor, the 54th pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, was seen as a great get for the Dolphins at the time, but has been plagued with various serious injuries. In 2013, his recovery from sports hernia surgery took longer than expected and in 2014 a torn labrum forced him to end the season on I.R. In the small sample we’ve seen of Taylor in action he has struggled, but the Dolphins still see him as a potential starter in 2015. If Taylor can stay healthy (and that’s obviously a huge ‘if’), then I think he has the best chance to win the coveted second-starting role out of all the other veteran cornerbacks. With his solid size and athleticism, Taylor would play on the outside. Since opposing teams are going to shy away from All-Pro cornerback Brent Grimes, Taylor is going to be targeted a lot. Taylor will struggle with this heavily increased workload, but with also have plenty of opportunities to make some big plays in 2015.

Zack Bowman

Zack Bowman’s 8-year NFL journey has seen him go from break-out performer to NFL journeyman. A fifth-round pick out of Nebraska for the Chicago Bears, Bowman ended his second year with six interceptions and looked like a big part of the Bears’ future. For one reason or another, his playing time decreased in Chicago and he became a special teams ace. His career saw a resurgence in 2013 when he recorded 2 interceptions for the Bears and 3 interceptions for the New York Giants in 2014. Bowman is a marginal athlete, but has great size (6’1, 210) and ball skills (12 career interceptions) for the cornerback position. Bowman’s experience in the Bears’ zone scheme for several years definitely aids him in his pursuit of getting the Dolphins’ starting gig. Jamar Taylor will probably beat him out in training camp, but don’t be surprised if Bowman gets several starts during the 2015 season considering Taylor’s spotty injury history.