Talib not heading to Miami yet
Former Rams CB remaining in LA to rehab rib injury
DAVIE — Even though the Miami Dolphins made a trade to acquire veteran cornerback Aqib Talib in a salary dump that secured a 2020 fifth-round pick from the Los Angeles Rams, it is quite possible the 33-year-old might never report to the team.
Talib, who is on injured reserve because of a rib injury he suffered earlier this season, has been given permission to continue rehabbing in Los Angeles.
“We talked about that,” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said Wednesday. “He’s not eligible to come back for a period of time, [so] he’s going to rehab in LA for a little bit and we’ll take it from there.
“That’s the conversation
I had with him.”
The Dolphins will pay Talib, a five-time Pro Bowl pick, the $4.2 million he is owed for the rest of this season, and he might never play a down for the Dolphins, who facilitated the trade with the Rams by reportedly sending Los Angeles a 2022 seventh-round pick.
Talib is eligible to return from injured reserve in Week 15, so he could play in the final three games of the season. However, the Dolphins only have the capability to bring back two players from IR, and they might use those spots on players such as defensive end Jonathan Ledbetter, rookie linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel or offensive tackle Julien Davenport.
Talib, who spent two seasons with the New England Patriots while Flores was part of the staff, will be an
unrestricted free agent after this season.
Talib, who turns 34 next season, has pulled down 35 interceptions and earned $52 million over the course of his 12-year career. He has played in 148 career games with 134 starts, totaling 459 tackles (382 solo), one sack, 125 passes defensed, five forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.
Talib has played for Tampa Bay (2008-12), New England (2012-13), Denver (2014-17) and the Rams (2018-19) in his career. He originally entered the NFL as a first-round pick (No. 20) of Tampa Bay in the 2008 draft.
The Dolphins could table the idea of re-signing Talib to a deal until the coming offseason to see if he can fill their longstanding void of having a capable cornerback who can play opposite cornerback Xavien Howard, who was placed on injured reserve Wednesday because of a knee injury he’s been battling for the past few weeks.
Dolphins add another CB: The Dolphins’ collection of cornerbacks claimed off the waiver wire this month continues to grow.
On Wednesday, they claimed cornerback Ken Crawley a day after the New
Orleans Saints waived the four-year veteran, who has started 23 NFL games.
The Saints waived Crawley after he played his first game of the season last Sunday. He played 12 snaps on special teams against the Arizona Cardinals after being a healthy scratch for the first seven games.
To make room for Crawley, who will likely practice on Thursday to help Miami’s injury-decimated secondary, receiver Isaiah Ford was released.
Crawley, who has contributed 128 tackles, one interception and 38 pass breakups during his tenure with the Saints, will join Xavier Crawford and Talib as the newest members of the Dolphins secondary.
Crawford is a former Houston Texans draft pick whom the Dolphins claimed off waivers on Tuesday.