Why the Dolphins Made the Move with Rasul Douglas

After what’s been a drawn-out process, the Miami Dolphins are finally adding a veteran cornerback to whom they’ve been linked for a few months. 

The team is signing former Buffalo Bills cornerback Rasul Douglas to a one-year, $3 million deal, according to multiple reports. Miami has had an interest in Douglas since it dealt Jalen Ramsey to the Steelers. 

Douglas made 15 starts for the Bills last season, recording 43 total tackles, five passes defended, and one forced fumble. He’s definitely one of the better options available, and he won’t turn 30 until Aug. 29.

Douglas will come in and immediately be a starting-caliber option on the outside. That’s obviously valuable at a position like cornerback. He’s also a primary zone cornerback, which is what the Dolphins like to run under defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver.

The Dolphins’ cornerback room wasn’t great coming into camp, and it’s been hit by injuries this summer. Kader Kohou and Artie Burns are out for the year with ACL injuries, while Ethan Bonner and Kendall Sheffield are also injured as Week 1 approaches. 

That left Miami with the potential starting group of Jack Jones and Storm Duck outside, and rookie sixth-round pick Jason Marshall Jr. in the slot after the team cut Mike Hilton on Monday. 

That’s hardly an experienced, reliable group, even if the team seems to like Duck and Marshall as young players to develop. 

DOUGLAS' CAREER CREDENTIALS

He’s been known as a ball hawk throughout his career (19 career interceptions), but 2024 was the first time since 2020 that he had zero interceptions. He also gave up a career-high passer rating of 116.9 and committed a career-high 10 penalties.

Douglas was a liability for the Bills last season, so much so that they viewed cornerback as one of their biggest needs this offseason. This caused them to spend a first-round pick on Douglas’ replacement, Maxwell Hairston. 

His tape wasn’t quite as bad as the numbers would suggest, but he did look like he lost a step.

Douglas looked outclassed in the few times the Bills wanted to play man coverage. These types of struggles are typically the ones cornerbacks experience before they really start to decline. 

And that fall-off usually happens around age 30, which is where Douglas will be when his birthday comes Friday.

The veteran can provide a lot of value to the room even if he’s not playing, though. Douglas has been on successful teams (Packers, Bills) and played in big games. He can help Miami’s younger cornerbacks through the ups and downs of playing in a passing, offense-driven league. 

The Dolphins adding Douglas makes plenty of sense for all the reasons listed above, but it’s important not to treat him like some savior for the secondary. He’ll need some time to get back up to speed, learn a new defense, and he wasn’t a reliable option in 2024. 

There’s a reason free agents are still available this time of the year, and that’s true for Douglas. However, the Dolphins’ cornerback room is desperate for pretty much anyone with starting experience, and Douglas has that in spades.