The Miami Dolphins are going to be aggressive in adding defensive backs to their roster — that much we can all be sure of. The question now is not a matter of it, but rather “who?” and “how many?”. And as if there weren’t already enough tempting options on the market, the Minnesota Vikings have added another popular name into the free agent mix as a cost cutting measure.
Tom Pelissero of NFL.com revealed yesterday afternoon that the Vikings were cutting cornerback Xavier Rhodes — who has been named to three Pro Bowls (2016, 2017 and 2019) and one All-Pro team (2017) in the last four years.
The #Vikings are releasing Xavier Rhodes, source said.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) March 13, 2020
Should the Dolphins be interested in pairing him with Xavien Howard for a heavy hitting duo of outside cornerbacks?
Not necessarily — because despite Rhodes’ status as a Pro Bowl defender in 2019, his level of play has dropped off significantly over the course of the last two seasons. If the Dolphins were looking for veteran defenders with the arrow pointed down, Rhodes would be a fit. But that doesn’t seem to be the Dolphins’ mentality.
As a point of reference, Rhodes allowed completions on 81.5% of passes against his coverage last season, conceding an opposing passer rating of 123.8 and four touchdowns. Sprinkle in a missed tackle rate of 8.7% and the more appropriate question for Rhodes is how he was named to the Pro Bowl this season?
No, the Dolphins should be passing on the opportunity to target Rhodes in free agency — his play no longer matches the standard that you’d expect based off his last few seasons in the NFL and the accolades he collected throughout the course of the 2019 season. As such, Miami would be wise to target defenders they’re more familiar with. Or, at the very least, go after players who can still provide a little more resistance in coverage; no matter what their background is.
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