What the Miami Dolphins are doing about their obvious need at cornerback
.JPG "Miami Dolphins cornerback Torry McTyer walks off the field at the NFL football team’s training camp, Wednesday, Aug. 1, 2018, in Davie, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)")
The Miami Dolphins were calling around the NFL to gauge the possible availability of some cornerbacks even before Tuesday’s practice when Tony Lippett seemingly injured his right foot.
The team on Tuesday afternoon was awaiting results of tests to determine the status of Lippett’s foot, but regardless of those results the Dolphins are obviously interested in possibly adding cornerback help.
(Yeah, everyone is always interested in adding cornerback help).
The Dolphins are not necessarily expecting to find starting-caliber cornerback talent in trade or on the waiver wire if that’s what it comes to.
But that may be exactly what they need.
The team, you see, is 11 practices into this training camp and on the eve of the preseason opener but it still has no starter identified to play the side opposite Xavien Howard.
Cordrea Tankersley has worked with the starters in five 11 practices.
Torry McTyer has worked with the starters in five of 11 practices.
And Lippett, who started 13 games in 2016 and led the team with four interceptions, has had one day in which he worked with the starters. Lippett missed all of 2017 with a torn Achilles and has not yet regained his old form.
And while Tankersley was solid for a while and McTyer has been with the starters lately, neither has separated himself and convinced anyone he is the starter. The Dolphins are eager to see what happens in the preseason before picking a starter.
So why not sign a free agent?
Dominique Rodgers Cromartie, a Bradenton, FL., native, is unsigned and available. He has 120 career starts to his credit.
But I’m told the Dolphins aren’t interested at this time.
The team is going to instead wait to see how far McTyer and Tankersley have come from last season.
You’ll recall the last time the Dolphins saw McTyer in any extended action on defense was last year against Kansas City. McTyer had one solo tackle in that game but dropped a possible interception.
Tankersley started 11 games last season, and finished the season with 24 solo tackles, seven passes defensed, but zero interceptions. What is Tankersley hoping to accomplish in the preseason, starting with Thursday night’s game against Tampa Bay?
“Just being consistent and trying to be that elite corner guy that I know I can be,” Tankersley said. “Just be a competitor each and every day.”
This story was originally published August 7, 2018 at 1:47 PM.