NFL cut day is brutal, there's no question about it. Nearly 1,200 players are going to get the news that they're being fired, essentially, and even though many of them will have jobs on practice squads or other rosters tomorrow, for some -- it's truly the end of the line. But cut day can be an opportunity to also cash in on the mistakes made by other teams, including division rivals.
For the Miami Dolphins, the cornerback position is one they're going to be watching like absolute vultures on the waiver wire, and their own division rivals may have just gifted them a solution to what has become a nightmarish issue.
The Bills cut cornerback Dane Jackson, a presumptive starter for them ahead of the 2025 season.
Dolphins could snatch up Dane Jackson after surprise release from Bills
Buffalo Bills fans aren't exactly upset to see Jackson go. He was playing late into the preseason and has been accused of being "slow" by the fan base.
Jackson was a starter for the Bills during his first stint with the team, but played last year in Carolina, which had the worst defense in the NFL. Appearing in nine games with less than 300 snaps, Jackson returned to Buffalo this offseason in hopes of competing for a starting job, but the Bills are going a different direction.
And their loss could be the Dolphins' gain.
Miami already added one former Bills cornerback by bringing in free agent Rasul Douglas. With all of the issues the Dolphins have had this offseason at cornerback, they can't afford to be picky. And the chance that Jackson could be something is a chance they might have to take at this point.
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Even if the Bills didn't want him, they are in a much different situation than the Dolphins right now with their top-end guys at the position, and the possibility of a first-round player like Maxwell Hairston emerging at some point, along with Tre'Davious White potentially returning to form.
Jackson got caught in the numbers game there in Buffalo (again), and Miami doesn't have the same numbers game right now. They are not simply trying to add bodies, but you want to see general manager Chris Grier take some calculated risks on players who could at least help this year.
And Jackson could help this year. He's got starting experience. He's got playoff experience. He's had a rough couple of years in a row now, allowing a 75 percent completion rate into his coverage the last two seasons combined. But there is a player in there who once put together a two-year sample where he allowed just 55.9 percent of throws to be completed into his coverage.
Maybe those days are gone, but the Dolphins might have to take the risk. And if it works out? They could burn a division rival while addressing a key need in the process.