With the offseason program done, who shined for the Dolphins at corner?
Miami Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel gave the notice early.
“I’ve said to the group a couple times, ‘I have a depth chart to fill out, can you help me out with it?’” McDaniel explained in late May at the start of organized team activities. “But realistically, we’re far from establishing what that is at any position. Yes, there’s guys that are not going to get beaten out, but the biggest thing is I want people to show me who they are.”
What resulted was a battle for two starting, outside cornerback positions across the offseason. As of Sunday, the options don’t look good on paper — several undrafted free agents, a 2023 second-round pick, a rookie, and few veterans who haven’t been consistent starters — but the players see it as an opportunity.
“It’s just a bunch of young guys who are hungry,” cornerback Isaiah Johnson said Wednesday. “We had some vets last year. We had some big names and now, just like the league always is, there’s some turnover and you got some guys who are just ready to come and work every day.”
Outside of Kader Kohou, who played well for the 2024 Dolphins in the slot and looked to be the leader at his position, the two corners that had the best showing during minicamp were in fact Johnson and Storm Duck. Johnson’s highlights included him snagging an interception Tuesday while Duck impressed with some stellar pass breakups and play recognition on both days that were open to the media.
“Established players never became who they were without opportunity,” Duck said Wednesday, later describing the position battle as “an opportunity for each and every last one of us.”
The Dolphins signed both Duck and Johnson as undrafted free agents in 2024. While Johnson spent the entire the season on the practice squad, Duck actually earned some playing time, starting three games and accumulating four pass breakups to go along with 35 combined tackles.
“He has continued to develop all throughout camp and throughout the season, and he’s just a guy that I think both his teammates and coaches alike trust,” Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver said of Duck in late December, later adding “in terms of the outside corner position, I think Storm has played his way into that role.”
The unfortunate position comes just six months after the Dolphins released veteran corner Kendall Fuller, who started 11 games for the Fins opposite of three-time All-Pro Jalen Ramsey, following a string of various injuries. Then, in mid-April, Ramsey and the Dolphins mutually agreed to part ways.
Despite a very clear hole on the boundary, the the Dolphins didn’t truly address the position in free agency — only Sheffield, a 2019 fourth-round pick with 20 starts, was signed in May — or the 2025 NFL Draft. Their only corner selection came on the third day with the pick of Jason Marshall Jr., a Florida Gator who didn’t grab an interception as a senior, in the fifth round.
“In terms of no interceptions, he is a guy that’s around the ball,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said April 26 after the draft concluded. “He’s competitive. He had the injury this year which set him back. He had a couple games where he dropped a couple picks, too, but we had him here at our Miami local day workout, watched him move around. He has ball skills, he has hands. So for us, he’s a size corner with movement skills. It’s up to us and him with our coaching and him working to make those improvements, but we’re very optimistic with his skill set that he has that he will do that.”
The moves — or lack thereof as Ramsey still remains on the roster as they search for a trade partner — have landed the Dolphins in an unenviable position on the boundary. What happens during the next five weeks will be paramount as the team looks to solve the position prior to training camp.
