The Miami Dolphins have already suffered a loss to their weak and depleted secondary. On Wednesday, they lost Artie Burns to an ACL injury. On Thursday, they found his replacement.
Burns' injury has been confirmed to be an ACL tear. The injury was non-contact and took place shortly after warm-ups. The Dolphins were hoping Burns would be able to overcome his long history of injuries during his career.
While many fans have been waiting for the Dolphins to make a move at the position with the hopes of finding a starter, the salary cap has become a problem. So Miami did what they do best: they turned to a player who won't cost much in free agent cornerback Cornell Armstrong.
Miami Dolphins sign CB Cornell Armstrong following ACL injury to Artie Burns
Armstrong was drafted by the Dolphins in 2018. The most impressive part of his career so far is that he has managed to stick around the NFL for seven seasons. Although he has technically been in the NFL for as many seasons, he has only played in four and has not appeared in a game since 2022.
Armstrong spent one season with Miami before being released in 2019. He signed with the Houston Texans, where he played in 15 games. To date, he has four starts, all with the Atlanta Falcons in 2022.
The Falcons waived him prior to the 2023 season. He joined the Las Vegas Raiders, where he spent the last two seasons on their practice squad, but was not activated for a game. He was released by Vegas in August and sat out the 2024 season.
The Dolphins have made it clear they are not concerned about their cornerback room. Burns wasn't going to be a full-time starter. Miami was hoping he would stay healthy and provide depth for situational play. The injury sucks, but it shouldn't come as a surprise. The signing of Armstrong should.
Clearly, the Dolphins are running into money problems, or at least that should be their excuse for adding a guy like Armstrong instead of a Rasul Douglas or Asante Samuel, not that they would be the solution to the Dolphins' issues.
As the Dolphins begin prepping for day three of camp, there are more questions now than there were when the veterans reported.