With Jaire Alexander now on the market, time is ticking for the Dolphins' corners

Miami Herald

5 hours ago

The Miami Dolphins cornerbacks' time to prove themselves is slowly ticking away.
On Monday, the Green Bay Packers released two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander, instantly improving the free agent market that includes Rasul Douglas, Stephon Gilmore and Asante Samuel Jr. And with mandatory minicamp to start Tuesday, the current crop of Dolphins outside corners could have just three days to get it together before reinforcements are brought in.
'I've said to the group a couple times, 'I have a depth chart to fill out, can you help me out with it?'' Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said May 28. 'But realistically, we're far from establishing what that is at any position. Yes, there's guys that are not going to get beaten out, but the biggest thing is I want people to show me who they are. I don't like looking at a guy, looking at their name plate and judging them off of last year, the year before. I want to see how they compete and what they do with the opportunity.'
The Dolphins' cornerback situation has been muddied ever since Jalen Ramsey and the team mutually agreed to part ways in April. That left several practice squad players (Isaiah Johnson, Ryan Cooper Jr.), a 2023 second-round pick (Cam Smith), a rookie (Jason Marshall Jr.), a handful of undrafted guys (Ethan Bonner, Storm Duck, BJ Adams, Ethan Robinson and Kader Kohou) and few aged veterans (Artie Burns and Kendall Sheffield), all of whom, outside of Kohou, a nickel corner, haven't been consistent starters in their careers or in quite some time. And although Dolphins general manager Chris Grier has unsuccessfully tried to find a trade partner for Ramsey, who will not participate in minicamp, he did pledge to sign another outside corner.
'We've had a number of conversations with players – veteran free agents that are good football players,' Grier said April 26 after the NFL Draft. 'We've had a number of conversations. Those will continue and we'll see if we can get something done.'
A new cornerback has become even more of a necessity considering how the position fared in organized training activities. Despite consensus No. 1 receiver Tyreek Hill solely running routes uncovered as his surgically repaired wrist recovers, wideouts made quick work of corners in 7-on-7 or 11-on-11 drills. Receiver Jaylen Waddle particularly shined during the scrimmage portion of practice, though he played it off in front of the media.
'They look extremely good,' Waddle said of the corners June 3. 'I'm not going to lie to y'all, they are making it really tough on the receivers. They are playing true to their technique. I think they are doing a good job of taking what they do in individual to when we go into team.'
The only question then becomes price. Alexander's most recent deal paid him an average salary of $21 million per year. Grier, on the other hand, has only given modest contracts this late in the offseason, the most recent examples being defensive tackle Calais Campbell (one-year, $2 million) and edge rusher Emmanuel Ogbah (one-year, $3.25 million) ahead of the 2024 season.
Then comes the question of availability. Despite his Pro Bowl status, Alexander's injury history during the past four seasons should concern the Dolphins. In 2021, he played only four games with a shoulder injury and while he returned in 2022 to earn a Pro Bowl, he has only started a combined 14 games during the past two seasons. That's not a good sign for the Dolphins, a team that lacks depth at the outside corner spot.
Still, Alexander has snagged 12 interceptions and forced three fumbles during his seven-year career. He has also posted 70 pass deflections and 287 combined tackles.