The Miami Dolphins’ latest potential reinforcement is a reminder of just how much things have changed since the summer
One of the Miami Dolphins’ most maligned position rooms has overachieved thus far this season — and they may soon be adding another name.
Wind the clocks back to June. Simpler times, I know. But I’d be willing to bet the conversation around the Miami Dolphins‘ roster would be heavily critical of the team’s cornerback situation. Rookie Chris Johnson was already the face of the room. And opposite him? Jason Marshall Jr. was a total unknown commodity. JuJu Brents was a talented but unproven player with durability questions. And behind them? Who knows?
Now jump to today. The Dolphins’ defense has shown plenty of signs of growth in the first five weeks under Jeff Hafley. The team’s latest performance included holding a full-strength Bengals attack under 200 passing yards — and a quarter of their yardage came on a freakish play by Ja’Marr Chase. It’s a nice development for Jeff Hafley’s coaching chops. And things could be getting even better with another name teasing a return.
Miami Dolphins cornerback Darrell Baker Jr. teases return to action
Could Darrell Baker Jr. soon be ready to ramp up his return? It’s a bit of a cruel twist that Miami’s corners have played the way that they have, as you could probably name a handful of other positions where a returning veteran could move the needle more. Now, with that said, if Baker Jr. is indeed almost ready to return, he’ll be some much needed cornerback insurance for the current group. Lest we forget Brents has never surpassed 500 snaps in a single season.
But I don’t think it’d be a fair assumption to think Baker Jr. would be an upgrade worth installing into the lineup. Especially in contract to Jason Marshall, who has two years remaining on his rookie contract and appears to be trending upwards with his play on the field.
This is why this season matters. Getting a few players to trend in the way Marshall has can help change the outlook for the roster. Marshall, of course, must continue to grow and sustain his improvements throughout this season to make his promising start actually count. But it’s rendered Darrell Baker’s potential return as less impactful than we may have guessed this summer. Football is funny like that.
Miami Dolphins News