A week of speculation came to an end on Sunday when the Miami Dolphins agreed to ship Vontae Davis to the Indianapolis Colts for a 2nd round pick in the 2013 NFL draft. Colts owner Jim Irsay had been stirring the NFL rumors of a major trade being in the works, and the acquisition of Davis may be just what both parties needed. Davis gets to start fresh in a new uniform, and the Colts could end up with one of the best corner backs in the NFL, but what does this do for the Dolphins secondary going into the 2012-13 season?
During a press conference held on Saturday (August, 25, 2012), Defensive Coordinator Kevin Coyle praised his defense for the improvement the first team showed in Friday’s game against the Atlanta Falcons. After he broke down several of the positives he had seen, he pointed out the need to work towards better defending the pass, saying this was an area they really needed to improve upon before the season opener against the Houston Texans.
Trading away Vontae Davis hardly seems like it would help. Instead, the Dolphins secondary will now consist of starters, Sean Smith and Richard Marshall, with Nolan Carroll moving up the depth chart to fill the third slot. Beyond those three, the depth chart gets a bit dicey.
Jonathan Wade was cut Saturday, making the reserves in Miami a rookie (Kevyn Scott), a wide receiver turned DB (Quinten Lawrence), and a guy off of last year’s practice squad (Vincent Agnew). They also have safety, Jimmy Wilson, who played corner as a rookie last season if it really comes to that. It is a group that just does not breathe confidence into the Dolphins fan base.
Chances are, the Dolphins General Manager Jeff Ireland will be scouring the waiver wire looking for some veteran help, but if the GM’s search for a wide receiver to replace another top tier talent he shipped out for draft picks is any indication, Dolphins fans will be in for a very long season.
There was a point when the Dolphins secondary could have held its own when stacked up against their counterparts in the rest of the AFC East, but as of now, I cannot see how anyone could rank the ‘Phins cover guys higher than those of the New England Patriots, New York Jets, or the Buffalo Bills.
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Patriot nation would like to thank Jeff Ireland for again putting the worst product on the field. Of course no one should be more pleased than Rex Ryan who will never have to worry about being the AFC East doormat. With Ireland you have the least competent football man in the business.