Dolphins lose one Pro Bowl corner, add injured one. And third-rounder eager to return
The Dolphins made a flurry of moves at their most tumultuous position on Tuesday, deciding to place a Pro Bowl cornerback on injured reserve, adding a former Pro Bowl cornerback who might never play here and plucking a rookie sixth-round pick off waivers while mulling what to do with a former third-round pick who has pronounced himself healthy.
The Dolphins informed Xavien Howard that they intend to place him on injured reserve with a knee injury that isn’t considered major, according to a source. He is expected to miss the remainder of the season.
Flores declined to confirm that move in his Monday news conference. Howard missed two games with swelling in his knee, returned against Pittsburgh and intercepted a pass but then left with the knee injury. Howard has had arthroscopic surgery on both knees, and Flores did not specifically answer when asked if he needs surgery.
Howard, who signed a five-year, $75 million extension in May, is expected to be healthy by the team’s offseason program.
“He’s a tough kid; I’m sure he will bounce back,” Flores said, adding there’s “not too much concern from my standpoint” about the long-term health of Howard’s knees.
Meanwhile, Miami acquired cornerback Aqib Talib in a financially-driven, NBA-style trade in which Miami acquired an asset (a 2020 fifth-round pick via Baltimore) in exchange for taking on the remaining $4.2 million of Talib’s expiring contract. Miami will send the Rams a 2022 seventh-round pick.
Talib in on injured reserve with a knee injury and isn’t eligible to return until Week 15. Coach Brian Flores was non-committal about whether Talib will play for the Dolphins at that point or at any point. Flores said he was unable to say if Talib will even report to the team.
Miami can bring two players back from injured reserve, with linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel, offensive lineman Julien Davenport and defensive lineman Jonathan Ledbetter among other options.
“We have some history with Aqib,” Flores said. “Really good player. We had an opportunity to acquire him and some draft capital. he’s dealing with an injury. We’ll ee where that is [come December].”
Talib, 33, has 35 interceptions in 12 NFL seasons but none in five games this season, all starts. He made the Pro Bowl every season between 2013 and 2017. But he struggled this season, allowing 13 of 25 passes in his coverage area to be caught fotr 163 yards and three touchdowns, which equates for a 112.2 passer rating in his coverage area.
Flores knows Talib from their time together in New England in 2012 and 2013.
Flores indicated the Dolphins will consider activating cornerback Cordrea Tankersley off the physically unable to perform list, but said that decision hasn’t been made.
And in a minor move, the Dolphins claimed cornerback Xavier Crawford off waivers from Houston, where he played two defensive snaps this season after being drafted in the sixth round in May. Crawford had two interceptions as a college player at Oregon State and Central Michigan. The Dolphins released tight end Nick O’Leary to make room for him.
After Howard left Monday’s game with the knee injury, the Dolphins used a rotation of corners who had played a total of seven NFL games before this season (all seven by Ryan Lewis, who somehow went from unemployed two weeks ago to starting on a Monday Night Football game).
The others: Undrafted UTEP rookie Nik Needham, Patriots seventh-round draft pick Ken Webster (who left with an ankle injury), Chris Lammons and Jomal Wiltz.
The Dolphins could move Eric Rowe back from safety to cornerback - where he played most of the season as a starter - once Reshad Jones recovers from a chest injury that has sidelined him two games and has in status again in question for Sunday’s home game against the New York Jets.
Opposing quarterbacks have a 120 passer rating against Miami this season.
Meanwhile, Tankersley is hoping the Dolphins will activate him off PUP, as they did with defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche on Monday. Nov. 6 is the deadline at which point the Dolphins must decide to place him on the 53-man roster, keep him out for the season or release him.
“There will potentially be some opportunity for him to be active,” Flores said. “We will see how that plays out over the course of the week. Too early to tell if we will have [a roster] spot.”
When Tankersley sustained a torn ACL in a practice last October, Ryan Tannehill - who had a similar injury - offered some sage advice. “He told me to find a good show on Netflix,” Tankersley said.
Tankersley said he has been medically cleared to do everything and is now fully healthy.
Drafted by the Dolphins in the third round out of Clemson in 2017, Tankersley had some good moments when he replaced struggling veteran Byron Maxwell as a starter for 11 games as a rookie, but his overall work (three TDs allowed, 119.8 passer rating in his coverage area) wasn’t good enough for the Dolphins to project him as a starter for 2018.
Then Tankersley struggled mightily in 2018 preseason, allowing 11 of 12 passes in his coverage area to be caught, and Bobby McCain beat him out for the starting job. The practice injury followed weeks later.
“It has been very mentally challenging, but I had a great support system from my family and friends,” he said. “I always took that momentum and took it into my rehab.”
Tankersley said coaches haven’t reviewed his NFL film with him but that they told him he’s well-equipped to play in this system.
“They told me I was a press corner and that’s what we do and that’s what they love about me as well,” he said.
Tankersley said he has regained all his physical skills and feels no effects of the knee injury. But the Dolphins haven’t rushed him back because he’s still working off the rust.
“Cornerback can’t just go out there and be able to do it,” he said. “For 11 months, I wasn’t able to go against any receivers. To have a body in front of you [is an adjustment].”
Despite the preseason struggles in 2018, he said, “I’’m more confident than ever. Got to be very confident to be a professional cornerback going up against some of the best in the world. You can’t worry, ‘I got beat.’ I’m very excited to get out there and make plays.”
General manager Chris Grier remains one of his biggest advocates in the building.
Throughout the past year, “he’s always been encouraging me, asking me how I’m doing, can’t wait for me to get out there,” Tankersley said.
This story was originally published October 29, 2019 at 3:17 PM.
