Bobby McCain could be the odd man out for the Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins continue to retool their roster and training camp is going to be eye-opening, could Bobby McCain be in danger?

The NFL draft is over; the next phase of the offseason plan is Organized Team Activities.  Rosters and depth charts are now starting to get penciled in, and assumptions are being made on whom the starter is compared to who might be on the roster bubble.  With that in mind, let’s take a look at a player that might be the odd man out in the secondary; Bobby McCain.

Since being drafted in the fifth round in the 2015 draft, Bobby has shown bite, as Bill Parcells would say.  When a rookie has talent, throw him in right away against the starters to see how he handles himself,  and Bobby showed promise.  He started his rookie season, under Miami Dolphins then head coach, Joe Philbin as a back-up cornerback.   Bobby rookie season showed a glimpse of promise,  especially after Philbin was fired and interim coach Dan Campbell started him.  At the end of the 2015 season, it was evident that this dog definitely had a bite.

In 2016, Adam Gase became the new Head Coach of the Miami Dolphins and automatically started McCain as his nickel corner.  To everyone surprise, McCain and the Dolphins flourished, making an appearance in the NFL playoffs for the first time in years.  McCain had now become a household name for Miami Dolphin fans and was rewarded with a nice contract extension in the following season.

Gase tenure in Miami ended and with that, so did McCain’s nickel responsibilities.  Coach Brain Flores made the decision to move McCain to Free Safety.  A position, which was being groomed for Minkah Fitzpatrick, the Dolphins first-round selection in 2018.  The drama that unfolded after that has already been documented to the ‘nth’ degree.  The bottom line, McCain became the starting Free Safety and Minkah was traded.

McCain’s first year at Free Safety was not impressive.  He ended his season on the injured reserve, as it was clear to a lot of scouts and fans that McCain did not have the build to play Free Safety.   So how did Chris Grier and Brian Flores address this concern? They didn’t sign or try to trade for a player; rather they used a 1st round and 3rd round pick on nickel cornerback and a Free Safety.

With the 30th overall selection, Chris Grier selected Noah Igbinoghene a cornerback from Auburn.  A former track star and Wide receiver, Noah has amazing speed and raw talent that Coach Flores loves with respect to press-man coverage.  With Xavien Howard and newly signed Bryon Jones roaming the outside, it seems logical that Noah will be penciled in as a day one starter at the nickel cornerback.

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In the third round, the Dolphins selected Brandon Jones from Texas, a Free Safety that can and has played all secondary positions.   Jones best characteristics are his over the top read and coverage ability, which is definitely a key asset for a Free Safety.   Additionally, his build and frame are stronger than McCain, which would definitely help in stopping the run and cross routes over the middle of the field.  The bottom line, the Dolphins front office made a conscious decision to address their Nickel and Free Safety position in the draft.

What does this all mean, to be honest, you don’t use a 1st and 3rd round selection with the hope that these players won’t start.  Truth be told, even if Jones shines in training camp, McCain can’t move back to his nickel position.  What happens is Noah is everything Flores wants in his press nickel corner, then is McCain allocated to dime cornerback?  With a seven million cap hit this year and little to no salary cap savings if McCain is released, it looks likely that McCain could be assured a roster spot this year, but in 2021, the Dolphins can cut him outright and save 6 million against the cap, with a dead cap hit of less than 600K.

Add in the fact that both rookies, Noah and Jones are on their rookies’ contracts it’s a sense of affordability that might make this decision attractive.   To be honest, I like McCain game, I think the experiment at Free Safety was a mistake,  based on his build and play style he belongs at nickel corner, which is why he got the fat contract extension.  McCain doesn’t have the build to line up against opposing Tight Ends or Running backs, which is why he ended the season on the IR, and why the Dolphins front office decided to invest in two exciting prospects.

The Dolphins could look to trade McCain for more draft capital, but I am not sure how much an opposing team would be willing to give up for an injured player with a cap hit of seven million.  It seems like this is McCain prove it a year.  It’s on him to go out and ball or he will be the odd man out in 2021.