The Miami Dolphins expect to be without cornerback Kendall Fuller on Sunday against the Cleveland Browns after the veteran suffered a knee injury. According to defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, undrafted rookie Storm Duck is ready to pick up the slack.
“He has continued to develop all throughout camp and throughout the season and he’s just a guy that I think his teammates and both teammates and coaches alike trust,” Weaver said of Duck.
“That’s not to take away from some of the other guys that are on the roster, too. I have a tremendous amount of faith in Ethan Bonner, if he’s out there and he’s on the field. When Siran Neal is in there, I have confidence in him, but in terms of the outside corner position, I think Storm [Duck] has played his way into that role.”
Duck, 24, already made two starts this season and was on the field for 13 snaps in relief of Fuller last week against the San Francisco 49ers.
The undrafted rookie saw snaps early in the year with 2023 second-round pick Cam Smith on injured reserve and Fuller briefly out of action due to a concussion. When Smith returned from IR in October, Duck dealt with an injury of his own that sidelined him for three games.
But when Duck returned to the lineup in Week 10, he quickly jumped Smith on the depth chart and was the team’s starting outside cornerback when Fuller suffered his second concussion of the year. During Fuller’s three-game absence, Duck played 134 snaps to Smith’s 36. Smith is now on injured reserve for the second time in 2024.
According to Pro Football Focus, Duck has allowed 16 receptions for 164 yards on 22 targets over 154 coverage snaps this season.
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