The longer the offseason goes, the greater the likelihood of there being a rotating door in the Miami Dolphins' cornerback room.
General manager Chris Grier and the Dolphins' front office have been trying to find a new landing spot for All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey since April. Should the franchise make such a move, it likely will look elsewhere to replace the talent it lost, whether it be in free agency or in the trade market, rather than head into the 2025 season with the players currently on its roster.
Jaire Alexander, a fellow All-Pro defensive back who was released by the Green Bay Packers on June 9, is widely seen as a potential like-for-like replacement for Ramsey. Bleacher Report's Moe Moton considers Alexander to be among the best players under 30 who remain unsigned.
Moton believes the Dallas Cowboys, who could see Trevon Diggs sidelined for the start of the season, could benefit the most from landing Alexander. But he also lists the Dolphins as an optimal landing spot for the former Green Bay defensive back.
"Alexander suited up for only seven games in both the 2023 and 2024 campaigns. However, he can still perform at a Pro Bowl level when healthy... In his last healthy season in 2022, he logged 14 pass breakups and five interceptions in 16 games," Moton wrote. "If Alexander stays on the field following two injury-riddled seasons, he can be a team's No. 1 cornerback with the ability to also man the slot."
Alexander originally joined the Packers as the No. 18 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. Since then, he has appeared in 78 games (including 76 starts), where he has recorded 287 tackles, 12 interceptions, 70 passes defended and 1.5 sacks. He was named to the NFC's Pro Bowl roster and landed a spot on the NFL's All-Pro Second Team in both 2020 and 2022.
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The Green Bay Packers are reeling after they blew a 10-0 lead at the start of the fourth quarter on Sunday. The Packers allowed the Cleveland Browns to score 13 unanswered points to win 13-10 in front of 65,470 fans at Huntington Bank Field. Following the game, defensive end Micah Parsons had a crude response to the comeback. "Sometimes, just like today, you s--- the bed," Parsons said via ESPN. "That's just the reality of it. It happens to the best teams. Even the best Super Bowl champs make mistakes, and they pay for it early. You go back to the history of the champions and who've they've played and games they should've won. It's just that competitive. "It's that hard to win. It's hard as hell to win football games. When you win football games, it's a celebration. But when you lose, it sucks." What went wrong for the Packers in loss to Browns Parsons and the Packers had a couple of major blunders in the final minute that they want back. Green Bay kicker Brandon McManus had a blocked field goal attempt that allowed the Browns a chance to get in range for a game-winning field goal. Parsons was called for a neutral zone infraction on the first play of the Browns' drive, allowing Cleveland to start the series from the Green Bay 48-yard line with 21 seconds remaining. Parsons apologized for the penalty, calling it "unacceptable." The All-Pro finished with two tackles. Parsons has extra motivation for avenging the loss against the Browns. The Packers are set to travel to play his former team, the Dallas Cowboys, on "Sunday Night Football" in Week 4.
The Dallas Cowboys’ defense endured another poor outing in Week 3. The team’s efforts to rebound will likely include a shorthanded unit on offense. CeeDee Lamb exited the Week 3 loss against the Bears with an ankle injury and did not return. It became clear afterwards that further testing would be needed to determine the severity of his injury. The All-Pro wideout now looks to be in line to miss time. “Certainly, he’s got a high ankle sprain and every one of those are different,” Cowboys COO Stephen Jones said of Lamb during a Monday appearance on 105.3 The Fan, via ESPN’s Todd Archer. “We’d love to have him back for Green Bay but at the same time we also got to understand the injury is what it is and we’ll play it out.” The Cowboys will play the Packers in Week 4, so Jones’ comments leave the door open to Lamb managing to avoid any missed time. Based on the reports which have emerged Monday afternoon, however, it appears far more likely Dallas will be without him for a short stretch. A timeline of two to four weeks is being considered internally, as first reported by Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News. Since then, both Archer and WFAA’s Ed Werder have pointed to an absence between three and four weeks. Provided those are accurate, Lamb can be considered a lock to at least miss the Cowboys’ upcoming game against a Green Bay defense featuring Micah Parsons. Injured reserve is not being considered in this case, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports. As such, Lamb is eligible to return at any time without needing to miss a stretch of four games or longer. The four-time Pro Bowler being back at full strength will be critical for the Cowboys’ offense, of course. On the other hand, it would be sensible to proceed with caution while managing Lamb’s injury. That could especially be true with George Pickens in the fold. Pickens will be counted on to operate as Dallas’ top pass-catching option until Lamb is healthy. It will be interesting to see when that will prove to be the case as the Cowboys aim to improve on their 1-2 start.
The Minnesota Vikings are fourth-worst in the NFL with 503 passing yards through three weeks, but they've been compromised. Wide receiver Jordan Addison was suspended for the first three games for violating the NFL's Substances of Abuse Policy. The 23-year-old was arrested on suspicion of DUI near Los Angeles International Airport in July 2024 and pleaded no contest to a "wet reckless" charge this past July, which is a misdemeanor offense. The Vikings drafted Addison No. 23 overall out of USC in 2023, and he was productive in his first two seasons. The 5-foot-11-inch, 175-pounder has career totals of 1,786 receiving yards on 133 catches with 19 touchdowns over 32 games. Addison is now done with his suspension, via NFL Network's Ian Rapoport. "Suspensions are over for 49ers wide receiver Demarcus Robinson and Vikings WR Jordan Addison, who both served three games and are now back with their teams," he reported on Monday. Minnesota will now have its No. 2 receiver back moving forward. Superstar wideout Justin Jefferson leads the team with 12 catches and 200 yards, while the next receiving leader is fellow wideout Josh Nailor with 96 yards. Tight end T.J. Hockenson also has nine receptions for 76 yards. Addison has a better track record than Nailor, who has never topped 414 yards in a season since entering the league in 2022. On the other hand, Hockenson notched 95 catches, 960 yards, and five touchdowns in 2023, but he's a safety blanket underneath and over the middle. Addison can help take the top off of the defense alongside Jefferson, which should open up the Vikings' offense. Vikings Positioned for Success Against Steelers Not only is Minnesota getting Addison back for this Sunday's bout with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but it'll face a defense that ranks 23rd in the NFL with 25.7 points allowed per game. The Steelers did hold the New England Patriots' offense to 14 points in last Sunday's win, but they coughed up 32 points to the New York Jets in Week 1 and 31 to the Seattle Seahawks in Week 2. Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (ankle) is out, but veteran backup Carson Wentz showed he can still play in Sunday's 48-10 trouncing of the Cincinnati Bengals, completing 14 of 20 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns. They're now 2-1 ahead of their Week 4 matchup with the Steelers in Dublin, Ireland, and could go 3-1 if Addison picks up where he left off.
The Cincinnati Bengals were not good at any phase of their game on Sunday as they brutally lost a 48-10 contest to the Minnesota Vikings in Week 3. In a game that featured backup quarterbacks, with Joe Burrow out with a toe injury and J.J. McCarthy having a high ankle sprain, the Bengals only gained 171 total yards. Cincinnati didn't make backup quarterback Jake Browning's life easy, as they averaged 2.5 yards per rush (53 yards). On Monday, Bengals head coach Zac Taylor admitted to reporters that the run offense needed to be better and had a telling response when asked about the team's "lack of physicality" against Minnesota. “Yeah, it’s hard to explain," Taylor said of the Bengals not being physical, via Cleveland.com. "You don’t want to have to explain that, but that’s the truth,” Taylor admitted with notable candor. “We got to get moving off the ball and create some displacement so that there’s some space for these backs to make some hay.” The Cincinnati Bengals need to be more physical Taylor didn't point the finger just at the offensive line. He said the running backs, wide receivers and tight ends needed to be physical on their assignments and blocks on running plays. He noted Browning needed to do better on his fakes. The running game is going to be key for Cincinnati to win games while Burrow is sidelined. Obviously, the best weapons for the offense are receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, but Browning isn't going to be as reliable as Burrow. The running game will open up opportunities for Browning to hit his receivers. The Bengals will play some physical defenses in the coming weeks. Following their Week 4 contest against the Denver Broncos, Cincinnati will play the Detroit Lions and Green Bay Packers in back-to-back weeks. How the offense responds to Taylor's message will be key to how the record looks when Burrow recovers from his surgery.
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