Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
Miami prepares for Bucs with unsettled secondary
DAVIE — The Miami Dolphins will have a tough challenge when they face Tampa Bay, which possess one of the best receiving corps in the NFL.
Mike Evans, who caught 96 passes for 1,321 yards and scored 12 touchdowns last season is a big (6-foot-5, 231-pounds), physical presence.
DeSean Jackson, who was acquired in the offseason, is one of the NFL’s best deep threats. He’s averaged 17.7 yards per reception since 2008, and typically keeps defenses honest by occupying a safety.
“Mike Evans is a big guy. He bodies you, and DeSean has been taking the top off defenses for years,” Dolphins cornerback Byron Maxwell said Tuesday. “They have a lot of weapons. And they, for the most part, use them.
“Jameis [Winston] is very confident, and usually they feed off the quarterback. They are going to be a very confident bunch. They take shots and go downfield, so you always got to be worried about that.”
The Dolphins need to be concerned about Tampa Bay matching up Jackson on Maxwell, who typically struggles when asked to defend quick receivers.
Maxwell allowed a 50-yard touchdown to Torrey Smith in Miami’s third preseason game against Philadelphia, and since then he’s had to compete with Alterraun Verner for the starting spot opposite Xavien Howard.
When asked if he’d secured his spot, Maxwell said “I’ll be out there,” and pointed out starting his 45th NFL game does matter to him.
The Dolphins have considered using Howard to shadow an opponent’s top receiver, but this wouldn’t be the ideal week to test switching sides out because of the tough assignment.
“You really have to feel comfortable that you match up well by doing that and you don’t want to do it to where, OK, one guy is good, but now you’re having problems somewhere else,” Dolphins coach Adam Gase said. “It really needs to be the right combination of what the other team has, and what you feel like we can do defensively.”
According to Gase, Miami’s focus with Howard, who had 40 tackles and forced one fumble in an injury-shortened season, is to “help them develop,” and maintain his confidence.
To achieve that goal Miami might need to keep Howard on the left side, the side he played his entire rookie season.
Verner is comfortable playing both boundary spots, and has familiarity with Tampa Bay’s offense since he spent the past three seasons playing for the Buccaneers after signing with that franchise as a free agent in 2014.
Verner struggled the past two seasons, and was subsequently benched before being released in the offseason. He had 16 tackles, one interception and seven pass deflections in the 16 games he played for the Buccaneers last season.
Verner, a former All-Pro, had a strong camp with the Dolphins this summer, and emerged as a potential starter two weeks ago.
“Consistency. [He] knows what to do. He has been a pro since the day he has got here. [He’s] competitive. He’s always as tight as you need him to be,” Gase said. “Hands are on the ball. He just makes it really tough for the quarterback. I really like what I’ve seen from him; I know the defensive staff has as well. For signing him as late as we did, we feel really good [about] where he’s at right now.”
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