Countdown to camp
Dolphins have numbers here, but results have been mixed
Cornerbacks: Quantity’s there, but quality?
Editor's note: With the start of Miami Dolphins’ training camp nine days away, the South Florida Sun Sentinel looks at some of the team's top storylines on the eve of the 2018 season.
The Miami Dolphins have a wealth of cornerbacks on their roster among Xavien Howard, Cordrea Tankersley, Bobby McCain and Tony Lippett. The question is how many are starting-caliber cornerbacks and how well can they perform.
So far the results are mixed, at best. Entering training camp McCain and Howard lead the pack but the rest of the cornerback crew is filled with questions.
Miami has invested fairly heavily at the cornerback position in recent years, going away from the trend of veteran free agents such as Brent Grimes, Byron Maxwell, Brice McCain and Cortland Finnegan.
The Dolphins are now relying on young, homegrown talent with the thought their investment will pay off in the form of quality labor on a rookie wage scale.
It’s a risky experiment.
Bobby McCain, the four-year starter who was rewarded with a four-year, $27 million contract extension this offseason, is the best of the bunch. He’s a reliable, proven slot cornerback who is solid in coverage and on the blitz and could see some time on the boundary this season.
Howard, the 2015 second-round pick, had a teambest four interceptions last season but they came in a two-game span. Howard’s play improved late in the season but it floundered early. Still, he’s fairly reliable although not necessarily polished enough to be con-
sidered a high-quality player right now.
Tankersley, who started 11 games last year as a rookie, still has to show he’s capable of being an every-down player.
Lippett, who had a teambest four interceptions in 2016 and missed last season with an Achilles injury, not only has to regain the form he had two years ago, he must surpass that level.
Others could contend for a starting job or a role from scrimmage including Walt Aikens, a special teams standout, Jalen Davis, an undrafted rookie from Utah State, and speedy Torry McTyer, who saw brief playing time last season as an undrafted rookie from Nevada-Las Vegas.
Miami hasn’t had a Pro Bowl cornerback aside from Grimes, who earned three berths from 2013-15, since 2004 when Patrick Surtain earned the honor.
The Dolphins have selected seven cornerbacks in the last five drafts. Of those, five are expected to be on the roster for the 2018 season and the starters (two on the boundary and one in the slot) will all likely be draftees.
But the question remains how many are starting caliber and how well they can perform.
Training camp practice schedule: Thursday, July 26 (8:30 a.m.); Friday, July 27 (8:30 a.m.); Saturday, July 28 (8:30 a.m.); Sunday, July 29 (8:30 a.m.); Monday, July 30 (8:30 a.m.); Wednesday, Aug. 1 (8:30 a.m.); Thursday, Aug. 2 (8:30 a.m.); Friday, Aug. 3 (8:30 a.m.); Saturday, Aug. 4 (11 a.m. scrimmage at Hard Rock Stadium); Monday, Aug. 6 (8:30 a.m.); Tuesday, Aug. 7 (8 a.m.); Sunday, Aug. 12 (8:30 a.m.); Monday, Aug. 13 (8:30 a.m.); Tuesday, Aug. 14 (8:30 a.m.)