Exploring cornerback options for cap-strapped Dolphins. Affordable help needed
How do you preview free agency for a team with practically no cap space and just beginning a major rebuild? It isn’t easy. Keep in mind that the cap-strapped Dolphins might end up spending only the league minimum — or barely more — to fill holes at several positions. We looked at free agent quarterbacks, edge players, safeties and receivers in recent days. Here’s a look at cornerbacks:
Former Dolphins general manager Chris Grier liked to say you can never have enough cornerbacks, then began 2025 training camp with exactly one proven NFL corner on his roster.
Hopefully new GM Jon-Eric Sullivan — once Miami exits this rebuild — will address the position in a way that doesn’t leave Miami scrambling to add slip-through-the-crack starters during training camp (Jack Jones) or late August (Rasul Douglas).
Sullivan likely will find those starters in the draft, either with one or two of Miami’s five picks in the first three rounds this year, or in 2027.
In the meantime, the Dolphins will need at least one cheap veteran (maybe more) to fill out a room with Jason Marshall Jr., Storm Duck, Juju Brents, Ethan Bonner (an exclusive rights free agent who has been tendered a contract by Miami) and developmental players Isaiah Johnson (coming off a knee injury), Jason Maitre (injured all of last season), Miles Battle and Ethan Robinson.
Though Douglas is coming off a good year and has a history with Sullivan in Green Bay, he’s expected to seek more than what cap-strapped Miami realistically can offer. And Miami hasn’t made an offer at this point, per a source.
Kader Kohou also will become a free agent and has been cleared by doctors after an ACL injury during training camp. There has been contact between the Dolphins and Kohou’s camp, but Miami hasn’t made an offer at this point, a source said.
Jack Jones also hits the market next week after an uneven season as a Dolphin.
More than 70 veteran cornerbacks are set to become free agents, but the majority will be out of reach financially for the cap-strapped Dolphins.
That group of corners due to command $10 million or more a year, based on the projections of spotrac.com, includes Jamel Dean, Alonte Taylor, Nashon Wright and Jaylen Watson. Others, such as the Rams’ Cobie Durant, will be too pricey.
Instead of running through a list of 29- to 35-year-old stopgap or journeymen free agents like Rock Ya-Sin (any of whom could be signed cheaply to help get Miami through a rebuild season), here’s a look at some four- and five- and six-year veterans (all players in their mid-20s) that could be affordable, though most come with warts.
We have grouped them into divisions, with the AFC East and NFC East coincidentally both bereft of these types of free agents:
AFC West
Nobody knows Las Vegas’ Eric Stokes better than Sullivan; Green Bay drafted him 29th overall in 2021, and he started 14 games as a rookie but just 9, 2 and 7 over his next three.
The Packers declined his fifth-year option, and he started 16 games for the Raiders last season, allowing a 77.2 passer rating against (28 completions in 50 targets for 261 yards, 9.3 per catch) with no INTs but just one TD allowed. Spotrac projects he will get $7 million a year, which might be too pricey for the Dolphins. But he’s worth monitoring, considering the history with Sullivan.
Benjamin St. Juste, a starter for three years in Washington, started twice for the Chargers and played 37% of their defensive snaps, and was exceptional, allowing only 19 of 39 targets to be caught for 205 yards, with a 62.4 passer rating in his coverage area. He finished as PFF’s No. 11 cornerback and might have priced himself out of Miami’s range.
Damarri Mathis, the former Denver first-round pick, started 11, 6 and 1 game in 2022 through 2024 and missed last season with a torn ACL. So he will likely come cheaply.
AFC North
Cam Taylor-Britt, a former second-round pick of the Bengals, was a good starter for the Bengals for three years, but struggled to begin this past season, was benched, and then sustained a Lisfranc foot injury.
On Jan. 6, he was sentenced to five days in jail after pleading guilty to reckless driving, as well as driving without a license. He finished the year with a dismal 133.5 passer rating against and 3 TDs in 21 targets, 14 of which were caught.
So his market value is way down from what it was a year ago and there would be multiple reasons not to sign him...
Cleveland’s Martin Emerson, a third-round pick in 2022, missed last season with an Achilles’ injury after starting 15 games in 2024. He also figures to need to settle for a modest deal.
AFC South
Greg Newsome, the former 2021 first-rounder, played well for a while for Cleveland but was dealt to Jacksonville last season in a trade involving late-round picks. He started 12 games for the Jaguars and allowed a 107.6 passer rating in 17 games overall, with five TDs allowed; receivers averaged 12.1 yards per catch against him.
Spotrac projects he will make $9 million a year, but that seems high; it’s also a number Miami couldn’t afford....
Jayln Armour-Davis, a former fourth-round pick of the Ravens, played his fourth NFL season for Tennessee, starting 10 games and allowed a bloated 134.6 passer rating and two TDs...
Darrell Baker, who played two years in Indianapolis and the past two in Tennessee, also started 10 games for the Titans and permitted an awful 135.4 passer rating and five TDs.
And to complete a trio of mid-20s Titans, there’s Kaiir Elam, the former Ravens first round bust who began last season with the Cowboys, started seven games there, was cut and picked up by Tennessee. His numbers remained ugly: 113.6 passer rating against and four TDs permitted. With this troika of Titans, keep in mind that you get what you pay for....
Montaric Brown, the former seventh-rounder, started 12 games for the Jaguars and was very good, allowing just 37 completions in 68 attempts and a 73.3 passer rating. He likely will be too costly.
NFC North
Detroit’s Amik Robertson, a 10-game starter for the Lions last season who began his career with the Raiders, was brutal at times, allowing a 110.4 passer rating and six TDs. He should be affordable.
NFC South
Dee Alford started 11 and seven games for Atlanta the past two seasons and was decent in 2025, with a 77.1 passer rating in his coverage area, with two TDs allowed and three interceptions. He permitted 51 receptions in 78 targets for 524 yards (10.3 yards per catch).
He’s a natural stopgap corner for a rebuild, but will he command more than Miami can afford?
NFC West
Seattle cannot pay all of its strong group of free agents, but it’s very difficult to imagine any of the Seahawks’ free agent corners (Tariq Woolen, Josh Jobe) settling for bargain-basement deals....
Five-year veteran Jason Pinnock, a Jets fifth-rounder in 2021, started seven games for the 49ers, allowing a 135.3 passer rating and four TDs. He’s among a couple dozen “meh” stopgap options...
The Rams’ Roger McCreary, a former Titans second-round pick, started 38 games in 3 ½ seasons for Tennessee, was dealt Oct. 27 to the Rams in a trade involving late-round draft choices, and then missed some time with a hip injury. He finished the 2025 season with a 108.9 passer rating against, permitting 26 of 32 passes to be caught for 10.2 yards per catch and two TDs.
He very likely won’t command what he would have a year ago. Jon Robinson, who is now part of Sullivan’s circle of trust with the Dolphins, was Titans GM when Tennessee draft him.
Perhaps Sullivan uncovers a young diamond-in-the-rough who hasn’t received much of a chance but blossoms here. He already has taken a flyer on former Patriots cornerback Battle, who has three passes defended in 47 career defensive snaps.
Here are the first four parts of my free agent series on quarterbacks, edge players, safeties and wide receivers.
This story was originally published March 4, 2026 at 11:45 AM.
