5 questions that the Miami Dolphins must answer in 2022
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Miami Dolphins Question #2: Will the secondary hold up?
One of the biggest question marks heading into the season is the depth of the defensive backfield.
The unit, especially at the cornerback position, is top-heavy. The Dolphins have one of the best cover tandems in the league with Xavien Howard and Byron Jones on opposite sides of the field, and much of the defensive strategy hinges on their ability to lock down opposing receivers.
Unfortunately for Miami, they’ll be without Jones for at least the first four games of the season as he recovers from off-season surgery. They’ll have to play against the tandems of Josh Allen/Stephon Diggs and Joe Burrow/Ja’Marr Chase and the rest of their arsenals with Nik Needham as the second starting cornerback.
Needham has been solid throughout the first three years of his career, but it is the mess behind him on the depth chart that presents the most concern. The next guys up would be Keion Crossen and Noah Igbinoghene, neither of whom can even come close to filling the shoes of Jones when it comes to coverage.
And if anything happens to Howard? (Knock on wood) Then Allen could throw for 400 yards against the Dolphins’ defense.