Dolphins re-signing CB Nik Needham, whose 2022 season was cut short due to injury
The Dolphins are re-signing cornerback Nik Needham to a one-year deal worth $2 million, a league source confirmed to the Miami Herald, retaining a contributor in the secondary whose season was cut short due to injury,
Needham, who turns 27 in November, was playing the 2022 season on the second-round restricted free agent tender but tore his Achilles in Week 6, sidelining him for the remainder of the year. He told reporters after the season ended that he is hoping to return to the field at some point during training camp.
Needham, one of the team’s best undrafted finds in recent memory, signed with the team after he wasn’t selected in the 2019 NFL Draft. He started the season on the practice squad but worked his way to the active roster, starting 11 games as a rookie. Over the next two seasons, Needham started 11 games as a versatile player in the secondary. He recorded a career-high 59 tackles, along with two interceptions, in 2021.
With cornerback Byron Jones out for the 2022 season, Needham started five games before his year ended in October. He is set to join a revamped secondary that includes All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, whom the Dolphins acquired in a trade with the Los Angeles Rams, and former Detroit Lions safety DeShon Elliott, who agreed to terms on a one-year deal. Xavien Howard, Kader Kohou, Keion Crossen, Noah Igbinoghene and Trill Williams, who is rehabbing from a torn ACL he sustained in the preseason, are Miami’s other cornerbacks under contract in 2023.
NFL Network first reported Needham’s deal.
This story may be updated.
This story was originally published March 15, 2023 at 11:21 PM.
