The Miami Dolphins have been dealt a bad hand when it comes to injuries this season. They’ve had a number of players miss significant time, and some of them aren’t returning for the remainder of the 2022 season.
If general manager Chris Grier, head coach Mike McDaniel and company want to keep competing in their first year together, they may need to make a move at this week’s deadline to acquire a veteran from another team.
There have been some names floated out there, but today, we’re just looking at positions that Miami should consider targeting before the deadline passes.
Cornerback
Miami’s season has been tough to watch at the cornerback position. Byron Jones had offseason Achilles surgery that has cost him the first eight games of this year, Trill Williams tore his ACL in the preseason and Nik Needham tore his Achilles against the Minnesota Vikings.
That doesn’t even include Xavien Howard, Keion Crossen and Kader Kohou dealing with bumps and bruises that have cost them snaps as well.
There may be some cornerbacks on the market with more defensive experience than the two gunners, an undrafted rookie and Noah Igbinoghene.
Left guard
Liam Eichenberg was carted off of the field on Sunday against the Detroit Lions. The injury didn’t look great, but it’s unclear just how severe it is. McDaniel will likely provide an update during his media availability this week, but if Eichenberg is going to miss time, left guard becomes an important need.
Robert Jones was fine in his action in Eichenberg’s absence, but over time, he’ll likely look like a backup.
Safety
The Dolphins lost starting safety Brandon Jones during their Sunday night win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Jones suffered a torn ACL which will cost him the rest of the season.
This past week, Eric Rowe, who would be expected to pick up the slack, was a healthy scratch. Instead, undrafted safety Verone McKinley III was elevated from the practice squad and played 80% of their defensive snaps.
If Miami’s confident in some combination of McKinley, Rowe and Clayton Fejedelem opposite Jevon Holland, they may not need to make a move. However, bringing on an experienced veteran may help the group.
