Dolphins eyeing nickel CB, other upgrades

The Dolphins have been busy lately, but they’ve still got some items on their offseason agenda. Among the items remaining on their to-do list: finding a nickel cornerback to back up Nik Needham (via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald). 

Justin Coleman could have stayed on as their other slot man, but the Dolphins allowed him to sign with the Seahawks in free agency. Clearly, Needham was the priority due to his youth and his strong showing in 2021. Miami cuffed him with a second-round RFA tender, keeping him at a $3.9M salary for the coming year.

Needham caught on with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2019 and has played extensively, even as the Dolphins added reinforcements at his position. He logged a 60% defensive snap rate in 2020, and even with Coleman in the fold, he played on 54% of Miami’s defensive plays last season. He’s snagged six interceptions in three Dolphins seasons and clearly earned his place as a first-stringer. Now, the ‘Fins just need to round out the depth chart behind him.

Besides nickel CB, the Dolphins are also on the lookout for center, punter and nose tackle support. The Dolphins do have a little bit of extra cap room following the DeVante Parker trade, but they’re still likely to plug most of these holes via minimum salary deals and the draft.