3. Miami Dolphins
Xavien Howard is another solid shutdown cornerback in the AFC East, even if he’s a tad overlooked due to his team’s overall lack of success. He is currently dealing with a knee injury, which cost him the second half of last season, but he’s excepted to be good to go once next season starts. Howard led the league with seven interceptions in 2018.
During free agency this offseason, the Dolphins made a surprise move and signed cornerback Byron Jones to a five-year, $82.5 million contract. Jones is another very good cornerback, and these two could become the division’s best 1-2 punch at the position, but they’ll certainly have to prove it first. He spent the first five years of career in Dallas. However, he hasn’t been the turnover master from a top cornerback. Still, he was sixth-best in the percentage of passes defensed last year.
But speaking of surprises, those didn’t stop here for the Dolphins secondary this offseason. Miami drafted cornerback Noah Igbinoghene in the first round of the 2020 draft, who will be their starting nickel cornerback. That’s a hugely-revamped start to their secondary in 2020.
Behind these corners, Eric Rowe and Bobby McCain will take on the safety duties for Miami. The Dolphins also drafted safety Brandon Jones in the third round this offesason to add further depth to the group. The Dolphins are going to be a completely different looking team next season, and it appears they might be trying to go the way of the 2017 Bills by letting their secondary lead the way.
Juju trying to separate from Xavien Howard 😬 pic.twitter.com/NFuy7sCq1j
— Ben Baldwin (@benbbaldwin) October 29, 2019