Top cornerbacks injured as Brady awaits
Slowing future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady and his cast of distinguished offensive weapons is difficult enough. But doing it with your two best cornerbacks limited by injuries creates a new level of angst.
Though Byron Jones and Xavien Howard practiced on Thursday, both were limited in their participation because of injuries. Jones has quadriceps and Achilles injuries; he returned to practice after missing Wednesday’s practice.
Howard has sustained a groin injury and was limited Thursday after practicing fully on Wednesday. Howard also has been dealing with a shoulder injury.
If only one of the two can play on Sunday, Nik Needham, Justin Coleman and Noah Igbinoghene likely would be the Dolphins’ second through fourth cornerbacks.
The Dolphins also have the option of moving longtime cornerback Jason McCourty from safety — where he has played exclusively for the Dolphins this season — back to cornerback. McCourty refused to say if he received any cornerback snaps this week but said it would be an adjustment if asked to move back to corner.
If the Dolphins used McCourty at cornerback — he practiced there in training camp — then Eric Rowe, Jevon Holland
Brandon Jones could share safety duties.
Even if McCourty stays at safety, Holland and Brandon Jones could play more if Byron Jones or Howard cannot play Sunday.
Tampa Bay leads the league in passing yards per game (327.5) and is fifth in points per game (30.5).
The ageless Brady has 10 touchdown passes and two interceptions and a 100.3 passer rating in four games this season.
Dolphins cornerbacks coach Charles Burks said Needham and Coleman are “interchangeable” in the sense that either can play in the slot or on the boundary. Burks declined to say which of those two would be more likely to line up on the boundary — opposite Howard — if Jones cannot play.
Regardless, Needham and Coleman likely would both play a lot if Jones is out.
Needham said his Wednesday practice workload remained what it would be if Jones were present: working some on the boundary and some in the slot.
“They both can play; to me, they’re interchangeable guys,” Burks said of Needham and Coleman. “They’re different players. But it’s more about how we want to play that particular offense.”
During the Brian Flores regime, Needham has been the biggest success story among Dolphins’ postdraft rookie free agents signings.
“What Nik has done from a maturation standpoint,
he has become a better pro,” defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander said this week. Needham has spoken of an improved diet as one reason for his improvement in his two-plus seasons.
“His experience within the system and having an understanding of his responsibility, and being a great communicator, you can see the game slow down for him,” Alexander said.”
Needham — who loves studying his “favorite cornerback” Darrelle Revis, the former Jets star — has played well again this season; quarterbacks have an 86.6 passer rating in his coverage area: nine completions in 14 throws for
104 yards.
In fact, except for the finale last season at Buffalo — when he allowed three touchdown passes — Needham generally has been very good during the past calendar year.
Coleman, conversely, has permitted 11 of 12 targets to be caught for 145 yards, which equates to a 117 passer rating in his coverage area.
Jones has been very solid this season; quarterbacks have a 76.3 rating in his coverage area. Howard has a 102.4 rating in his coverage area.
Even beyond Brady’s greatness, Tampa’s distinguished and talented group of receivers pose problems.
Antonio Brown, from Miami Norland High, is a four-time Pro Bowler, most recently in 2017. Mike Evans has made Pro Bowls three times (2016, 2018, 2019). And Chris Godwin made the Pro Bowl in
2019, when he had 1,339 receiving yards.
“Mike Evans is a bigbodied receiver,” Needham said. “Godwin has size [6-1], is fast. Antonio Brown has been playing well for 11 years. All bring different stuff.”
Pro Bowl tight end Rob Gronkowski appears unlikely to play Sunday; Fox’s Jay Glazer reported last week that Gronkowski told him that he has “four cracked ribs, one broken rib and a punctured lung.”
THIS AND THAT
Receiver DeVante Parker was limited with shoulder and hamstring injuries.
There was, predictably, plenty of Brady talk during Dolphins player press conferences this week.
Asked if sacking Brady is anything extra special, linebacker Sam Eguavoen shrugged that off and cracked: “If you get a sack on Tom Brady, if they give you $3 million” then that would be extra meaningful. Eguavoen said Brady has “seen every defense known to mankind.”...
Needham said: “I don’t understand why people don’t like him as a player. He’s one of the greatest of all time.”...
Defensive tackle Christian Wilkins said “You see why many consider Brady to be the GOAT [greatest of all time].” He said playing Brady is “something you can tell your grandkids... At this rate, he might play my grandkids.”
In the wake of Sunday’s loss to Indianapolis, tight end Mike Gesicki said: “The leaders on the team got the guys together.”
What was the message from that meeting?
To have a “sense of urgency, trust, belief,” Gesicki said. “We have a lot of talent. We just have to go out and use it.”
There could be opportunities against an injuryriddled Tampa Bay secondary; the Buccaneers are last in the league in pass defense, allowing 327.5 yards per game.