In keeping with our assessment of the team and where we stand as far as our defense goes, the time has come to look at the one position that at the moment has the most potential to show improvement this upcoming season with the development of the rookie players that we currently have. Our young cornerbacks have shown that they have all the tools they need to become great and I expect we will see some of that greatness this upcoming season now that they have a season of experience to their name.

Will Allen.- This is our senior and most experienced cornerback and although our rookie corners did a pretty good job of taking over after he suffered a season ending injury on week 6 the team still felt his absence on the field. During the six games Allen did play he proved he is still at the top of his game, and recorded 21 tackles, two interceptions and knocked down 6 other passes. He also held opposing quarterbacks to a 49.8 passer rating when throwing at his receivers, which ranked him third in the NFL.
Allen’s recent encounter with the law has made a few people question whether or not he will be back to play for the Dolphins next season, and I personally think it would be crazy to let him go. Sure our rookie corner’s have shown they have potential but they need the experience that Allen can offer them to further explore it and why would any team in their right mind let go of a guy who ranks third among the league in the position they play? That’s not to say that I condone his actions, something should be done, but I think letting him go would be a big mistake.

Vontae Davis.- As I have said before, Davis was one of my favorite players this past season, he was by no means perfect but I think he played very well in that position for being a rookie and if nothing else he proved he has great instincts. Davis numbers this past season are not a good indication of the potential he has,he actually was the worst corner in the AFC East out of those corners who faced at least 50 passes; he allowed 46 catches on 76 tries for a 60.5% success rate for the offense.
Despite being burned so much, what makes Davis special is his ability to keep track of the ball well while in the air, and to position himself well against opposing WRs in order to get those interceptions. He actually led the team with four interceptions, two of those which came against New England’s star receiver Randy Moss, and one of those was in their endzone. He has exhibited great leaping ability, body control and closing speed, but most importantly he has shown a willingness to learn and I expect that with Will Allen mentoring him and a season under his belt we will see great improvement from Davis this upcoming season.

Sean Smith.- Smith became the first rookie corner in Dolphins’ history to start all 16 games. And coverage-wise as well as in some people’s eyes he was the better rookie of the two. Sure he didn’t record any interceptions but he was also thrown to fewer times which might have contributed to that.
Smith ranked 16th in the AFC East out of those corners who faced at least 50 passes; he allowed 35 catches on 73 tries for a 47.9% success rate for the offense. Despite not recording any interceptions, he managed to deflect 12 passes and allowed only 4 touchdowns. Smith did seem to slow down a little towards the end of the season, but I believe he will also show great improvement this upcoming season.

Nathan Jones.- Jones saw a lot more action on defense this year due to Will Allen’s injury and although he struggled a little when it came to pass coverage, he did manage to record two interceptions. Jones’ greatest contribution though, came in the form of a special teams player, were he recorded 19 tackles, leading the team in this stat as well as being third in the NFL.
Jones is an unrestricted free agent this season, and I think he is one of those guys that we need to bring back.

Jason Allen.- Although he didn’t see much play as a corner this season, Allen’s greatest contribution, like Jones’ also came from special teams were he finished second in tackles with 15. Allen proved invaluable when it came to slowing players down and bringing down punt returners. Although special team’s players are often overlooked I fell as though both Jones and Allen deserve to be commended on the roles they played, after last season I think a lot more of us can appreciate how a game can be lost and/or won by special teams; remember those two returns by Ginn against the Jets?

Evan Oglesby.- Oglesby only saw action twice this season, both times as a special teams player and he didn’t record any stats during those appearances so it is difficult to say much about this player. We’ll have to wait and see what happens with him during this upcoming season.

After looking at our players, I think it’s clear that with so many other holes to fill in defense this upcoming season, the corner position is not necessarily one we need to worry about so I won’t discuss any of the options available I will give you a short list of what is available in both free agency and the draft.

Some of the CBs which will be available in free agency are: Leigh Bodden (New England Patriots), Dunta Robinson (Houston Texans), Carlos Rogers (Washington Redskins), Richard Marshall (Carolina Panthers) and Tramon Williams (Green Bay Packers).

Some of the CBs available in the draft are: Joe Haden (Florida), Kyle Wilson (Boise State), Donovan Warren (Michigan), Brandon Ghee (Wake Forrest), Perrish Cox (Oklahoma State), Devin McCourty (Rutgers), Dominique Franks (Oklahoma).