Phin Phanatic
FanSided

Ranking the Miami Dolphins active cornerbacks from worst to best

By Timothy Rodriguez

MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 04: Xavien Howard #25 of the Miami Dolphins intercepts a pass intended for DK Metcalf #14 of the Seattle Seahawks during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium on October 04, 2020 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
MIAMI GARDENS, FLORIDA - OCTOBER 04: Xavien Howard #25 of the Miami Dolphins intercepts a pass intended for DK Metcalf #14 of the Seattle Seahawks during the third quarter at Hard Rock Stadium on October 04, 2020 in Miami Gardens, Florida. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images) /
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MIAMI, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 22: Nik Needham #40 of the Miami Dolphins celebrates a stop during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals in the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium on December 22, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images)
MIAMI, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 22: Nik Needham #40 of the Miami Dolphins celebrates a stop during the game against the Cincinnati Bengals in the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium on December 22, 2019 in Miami, Florida. (Photo by Mark Brown/Getty Images) /

Nik Needham

An undrafted free agent in 2019, Nik Needham was a pleasant surprise for the Miami Dolphins. Needham stepped in for an extremely injured and void of secondary and played some promising ball. While he did not do enough to stop the Dolphins from adding multiple starting caliber corners. These additions make Needham either the third or fourth corner, giving Miami great depth.

When free agent acquisition Byron Jones went down against the Buffalo Bills, rookie cornerback Noah Igbinoghene was thrusted into the starting role. This subsequently made Needham a full time player given how much the Dolphins like to play a heavy package of defensive backs.

The downside of Needham’s season has been his inconsistent snap counts through six games. He has two games where he played zero defensive snaps. One of those games came in a Thursday night game after Byron Jones groin injury. However, he also has games with 88 and 89 percent of the defensive snaps. In total, Needham has played half of the defensive snaps in 2020.

Needham’s biggest struggle so far this season has been penalties. He is the most penalized player on the Dolphins with four this season. The next closest player on the team has two. Considering that he has only actually played in four games, that number is highly concerning. Needham, while physical, needs to stop being so handsy and grabby.

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