The Miami Dolphins are in serious need of cornerback help this offseason, just as they did going into the 2025 season after trading away Jalen Ramsey in the summer. The Dolphins signed a few players in free agency on short-term deals, but it became clear heading into training camp that Kader Kohou was the team's CB1.
Yet, as good as Kohou has been in his three seasons played with Miami, viewing him as your No. 1 cornerback was never a good sign for the unit. Unfortunately for him, he never got a chance to prove himself worthy of the title. Like many of the Dolphins' cornerbacks from a year ago, Kohou's season was over before it even started, having torn his ACL during training camp last July.
Now, Kohou heads into 2026 officially medically cleared -- and an unrestricted free agent. And like last offseason, Miami remains quite thin at the CB position. Could Kohou return to the team that took a shot on him back in 2022, or does a better payday seem more likely somewhere else?
Miami Dolphins CB Kader Kohou enters free agency medically cleared
Chris Grier received a lot of grief (and rightfully so) for his long tenure within the Dolphins organization and not much to show for it. Yet, he did have a knack for finding undrafted talent, most notably at the cornerback position. One could even argue he was better at finding guys off the street than drafting them (please see Cam Smith and Noah Igbinoghene).
Kohou was definitely one of those guys who excelled for the Dolphins as an UDFA. I'm sure if you asked most Dolphins fans, and if they were being honest, they'd admit that they never even heard of Texas A&M-Commerce, Kohou's collegiate program, before he was brought in. So for him to make Miami's final 53-man roster out of a virtually unknown Division II school was impressive in and of itself.
But Kohou did more than just make the team. He made an impact. In his first three seasons, Kohou appeared in 47 games, starting 38 of them. He totaled 180 tackles during that time, along with three interceptions, becoming the Dolphins' key primary slot cornerback.
Kohou's injury last year was heartbreaking for not only him but for all involved. He was in position to truly showcase his talents and earn himself a lucrative contract this year. Nevertheless, seven months to the day from his surgery, Kohou is medically cleared. And with free agency less than two weeks away, it couldn't come at a better time for the 27-year-old.
On the surface, a Kohou-Dolphins reunion seems plausible. Last season, he had signed his tender with Miami for $3.3 million to stay with the Dolphins. After spending the year on the sidelines, though, Kohou's market value now sits at around the $2 million mark for one season.
That type of contract screams "prove it" deal, and the Dolphins may just be the team to give it to him. Outside of going after quarterback Malik Willis, the Dolphins are not expected to be heavy hitters in free agency. Instead, expect Miami to sign several short-term, minimal deals while they look to offload other bloated contracts like Tua Tagovailoa's.
From that vantage point, Kohou essentially checks all the boxes. First, he has familiarity, as the Dolphins are the only NFL team he's known. Miami also has a desperate need to add to its CB room, but the organization is not looking to throw a bunch of money at it -- or any other position -- to get it done. Thus, assuming Spotrac's market value for Kohou is accurate, one could assume that he'd be a top target for the Dolphins to re-sign.
The only real issue and cause for hesitancy in bringing Kohou back to Miami is that this is a totally new regime. Neither general manager Jon-Eric Sullivan nor head coach Jeff Hafley has any ties to Kohou or any of the other Dolphins players. They quite simply could look to go in a different direction. Plus, with Hafley being a defensive-minded coach, he may not see a place where Kohou fits into his scheme.
However, if I'm Miami, I'm entertaining the idea of bringing Kohou back on a one-year deal. This is a depleted unit that will not be solved in one offseason, probably not even two. Rasul Douglas has likely priced himself out of Miami, and the Dolphins need bodies at the end of the day to fill out the roster. I'd expect the organization to target CB early in the draft process, but that shouldn't impact whether to keep Kohou or not. He's a low-risk option with a ton of experience who can be beneficial for Miami in 2026.