Dolphins lack of CB depth a problem

The Miami Dolphins opted to not pursue the cornerback position this off-season. Instead they made two moves, both with questions.

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The trade for Byron Maxwell brought a lot of questions to the team. A lack of vision was one of them. Maxwell was very good in Seattle but he fell flat in Philadelphia. The Dolphins are hoping that Maxwell can become his former self instead of the extremely high priced former Eagle.

Maxwell however is just one slipped step this off-season. The Dolphins opted not to pursue corners in free agency. Including former Dolphins Sean Smith. They did however let Brent Grimes go when they released him.

While Grimes has slowly started to lose a step, he is still better than any of the other players at the position. Possibly even Maxwell. Typically this wouldn’t be a huge problem as the Dolphins addressed the position in round two of the draft with Xavien Howard.

Howard was given first ground grades by a lot of draft experts but there is a lot to learn at the NFL level. What makes all of this concerning is the fact that the Dolphins play in the AFC East and they have had a hard enough time stopping the likes of the Patriots.

This lack of vision for the teams future is beyond questionable. Miami has to know that facing Tom Brady twice a year is a must if they wish to win the division. The Dolphins ended the 2015 season with big concerns at the position and those concerns have not been addressed.

Over the past weekend, the first weekend of training camp, the Dolphins have waived CB Tyler Patmon and TE Jake Stoneburner for CB’s Brandon Harris and Rahsaan Melvin. Neither player is expected to add anything more than depth to the spot through camp but the team is hoping that one of them might win a roster spot.

Miami is relying on the unknown at the position. Can Howard make a seamless jump to the NFL? Can Maxwell return to his Seattle playing level? Can Tony Lippett make the transition from receiver to corner and is Bobby McCain ready for full time work?

The Dolphins are far from deep at corner and it’s only going to get tougher as the camp season progresses. Miami needs this unit to respond as the regular season is quickly approaching.

All in all, the Dolphins didn’t truly address the position this year. Similarly they didn’t address linebacker either. The good news is that no one is expecting the Dolphins to mature in one season and make the post-season so there is time.