‘Leads by example.’ What Rasul Douglas brings to the Dolphins cornerback room
Rasul Douglas isn’t the most loquacious person.
The cornerback considers himself quiet. Douglas even admitted to not being the best resource for younger players because he’s “not really a talker.” Something, however, changes when he’s on the field.
“It’s in you,” Douglas, 29, said Thursday. “I don’t know if it’s the lights or the real jersey, like you suiting up. Even the sleep feel different — so you wake up, and it’s just a whole different person. Sometimes you don’t know who that is.”
The Dolphins will need Douglas’ ability to flip that switch night in, night out after the eight-year veteran officially signed with Miami on Wednesday. This deal was a longtime coming — Miami has been in dire need of at least one experienced outside cornerback since the late-June trade of three-time All-Pro Jalen Ramsey and season-ending injuries to Kader Kohou as well as Artie Burns – yet the details needed to be finalized. And while the Dolphins’ current crop of corners only includes one player who has started more than four games, Douglas can show how one survives in the league for a nearly a decade.
“If you watch me practice, if you watch me watch film and stuff like that, you might want that to be a part of your game and may talk to me and may can help put you in the right situation,” Douglas said, explaining that he “leads by example.”
A 2017 third-round pick, Douglas arrives in Miami after he suited up for four teams — the Philadelphia Eagles, Carolina Panthers, Green Bay Packers and Buffalo Bills — during his eight-year career. Over that span, he gas racked up 19 interceptions, three of which he returned for touchdowns, 79 pass deflections and more than 350 solo tackles.
“He’s been a player that’s very smart, instinctive, tough, competitive, so I’m really happy to add him to the group,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said of Douglas.
With just two practices under his belt, it’s unclear if Douglas will be ready to go Week 1 vs. the Indianapolis Colts. Grier, however, believed Douglas could be ready.
“I think so,” Grier said Wednesday. “We’ll see. He’ll be out there today so we’ll see how he looks. He has got some time. He has got to get used to the South Florida heat, but he’s been in Dallas training so excited for him.”
Then comes whether Douglas will start, something that he has done 80 times during his career.
“We are not in the business of handing over positions, particularly in a competitive environment,” coach Mike McDaniel said Thursday. “Rasul [gives us] another step up in competitiveness in the room. Overall, the Dolphins are better. We weren’t plugging and playing. We were putting him in the group and see how that shakes out.”
With Storm Duck likely etched into one outside cornerback slot, it looks like Jack Jones and Douglas could be in competition for the other. A known ball hawk with seven picks, four of which he took to the house, Jones came to Miami hoping to revive his career after being cut twice since the New England Patriots selected him in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft. Jones also has experience as a starter, doing so in half of his 42 played games.
Who will ultimately line up on the outside remains to be seen. Still, the secondary looks a lot better Thursday than it did without Douglas who already had some positive things to say.
“They communicate well,” Douglas said of the secondary. “Good group of guys. They run around. Play fast. They got some guys in there that can lead. They might be young, but they can lead.” “It’s a good team,” he continued. “They’re on the rise to something. Why not be a part of it?”
