Feedback on several Miami Dolphins from ex-Hurricane who has been working with them
Former University of Miami cornerback Chad Wilson is very good at multi-tasking: He runs a college recruiting website while training NFL players at his offseason “All Eyes DB” football camp, which attracts more than defensive backs.
Wilson, who had three interceptions for the Hurricanes in the 1994 season, has worked with several Dolphins in recent weeks and said rookie cornerback Noah Igbinoghene is well-equipped to thrive even if the Dolphins use him, as expected, in the slot in nickel defense — a position he played sparingly at Auburn. The Dolphins haven’t told Igbinoghene how they plan to use him.
“We’ve done both — he’s worked inside and outside; and I know he can do that [playing in the slot],” Wilson said of workouts that have prepared several Dolphins for the season amid the cancellation of team workouts due to COVID-19.
“It’s not likely he would [play on the boundary] a lot given you have Xavien Howard and Byron Jones,” Wilson said. “He probably would be used inside the majority. But I know they defensively really emphasize and cherish the ability to have players play multiple positions. He’s fast, super explosive. Just needs to touch up technique work. His ceiling is high. He has tremendous athletic ability. Throwing a ball and getting it beyond him is not easy to do.”
Igbinoghene — who agreed to terms on a four-year, $11.3 million contract on Monday — is expected to compete with Nik Needham, Jamal Perry and potentially others for the slot cornerback job.
Per Pro Football Focus’ Ryan Smith, Igbinoghene allowed one reception in four targets, for 6 yards, when he lined up at nickel corner in 2018.
Last season, he allowed three receptions in 11 targets, for 37 yards when playing nickel corner, which computes to a 41.1 passer rating against.
“I wanted to put Noah inside some this past year, but we couldn’t afford to take him off the edge,” said Auburn defensive backs coach Wesley McGriff, who coached at the University of Miami from 2007 to 2010.
Wilson usually spends the offseason working with Howard, but Howard instead has been working with the Dolphins medical staff this offseason as he makes his way back from a November knee operation that was more serious than a simple cleanup, according to a league source. While Howard is running at full speed, he hasn’t done the types of defensive back drills that he would normally do at Wilson’s camp.
The Dolphins have been taking it slowly with Howard but remain hopeful he will be able to start the season on time.
“I saw him a couple times at the beginning of quarantine and he looks to be coming along fine,” Wilson said. “He looks to be on track, and I would expect him to be ready when the season starts.”
Wilson, whose son Quincy is a cornerback with the New York Jets, spoke about other Dolphins players who have been training with him:
▪ On linebacker Elandon Roberts:
“Highly intelligent player. Very technically sound. He’s not the vision of a hulking linebacker muscled everywhere. And as someone who has coached, he is someone who strikes me as the kind of player I would have the utmost trust in. If I ran a defense, he’s the kind of guy I would run it through. He knows how to line up everywhere where he needs to be. He’s efficient in movement. Not a lot of wasted motion. He’s big on details.”
▪ He has worked with the Dolphins’ likely starting safeties — Bobby McCain and Eric Rowe — and likes their chemistry. The Dolphins don’t designate a strong and free safety in their defense.
“Bobby and Eric have strong personalities, but personalities you can respect,” Wilson said. “They operate in a respectful way and are leaders by example.”
The Dolphins are unique in having two former cornerbacks play safety, and Wilson said that “has a lot to do with how the Dolphins run their defense. Guys end up in man coverage a lot at safety so you want guys who have been in that fire at corner. That’s a smart move by the Dolphins to do that.”
Rowe, who played very well after moving to safety last October, played only five games at safety alongside McCain before McCain went on injured reserve in mid-November with a shoulder injury.
Rowe has bulked up a bit this offseason. McCain appears stronger; he’s pushing more weight, as Wilson has observed.
With Rowe, “we have worked on different drops, just various situations you would find yourself,” Wilson said. “Eric is a very versatile player and we try to get him ready for anything.”
One reason the Dolphins like McCain at safety — instead of the nickel cornerback spot where the previous coach played him — is his communications skills.
“Bobby knows where everyone is supposed to be,” Wilson said. “I would run the whole thing through Bobby.”
Their run defense will be tested, with neither Rowe nor McCain possessing the physique of a quintessential strong safety.
▪ Safety Steven Parker, who had two acrobatic interceptions as a rookie and finds himself in a battle to make the team, has “great range,” Wilson said. “He seems to be able to cover ground, tracks the ball well. All the things you need to get out of a safety. I was impressed.”
During an offseason derailed by COVID-19, two different programs run by Wilson and local trainer Pete Bommarito essentially have replaced the Dolphins facility as the place where players can stay in shape, hone their skills and improve their bond with teammates.
Bommarito has worked with more than 15 Dolphins, as we detailed here.
Bommarito and Wilson — who aren’t affiliated with each other — usually train players before the NFL offseason program starts in April and after it ends in mid-June. But with the team facilities shut down to healthy players because of COVID-19 (at least through the end of this week), Dolphins players have done all of their on-field work off site, with Bommarito and Wilson at the epicenter of that.
Only players coming off significant injuries or surgery — such as Howard and rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa — have been able to work inside the Dolphins’ building this offseason.
For more information on Wilson’s All Eyes DB camp, he can be reached on Instagram (@alleyesdbcamp).
This story was originally published July 21, 2020 at 2:19 PM.
