The Dolphins just signed a defender from an AFC East rival and it may offer our first clue into a Jeff Hafley secondary in Miami
Perhaps a clue into what Jeff Hafley is looking for in his cornerback room?
One of the biggest mysteries of a coaching change is what priorities or tendencies will come with them. For the Miami Dolphins, we’re facing the potential for major change on the defensive side of the football under Jeff Hafley.
Good luck figuring out if Miami is g0ing to lean into man or zone coverage tendencies. Will they prefer big ends or undersized slashers? Are rangy linebackers or gap pluggers more important? What about at cornerback? Do you want to play a lot of press? Maybe you’d prefer off coverage. The only thing that’s going to provide clarity in this regard is time and moves. Once Miami declares several personnel decisions, it can offer us some insight on the way things are trending. And at cornerback, where Miami’s situation is among the most dire of any spot on the roster, we may have just got our first clue.
Dolphins sign Patriots cornerback Miles Battle to offseason roster
There’s a new cornerback in town for the Dolphins and his name is Miles Battle. Battle is a big corner. He’s 6-foot-3 and 1/4 tall, weighed 196 pounds at his Pro Day, and has 32″ arms. He went undrafted out of Utah by way of Ole Miss in the 2024 NFL Draft before signing on with the Kansas City Chiefs, then landing with the New England Patriots and serving primarily as a member of their practice squad in 2024 and 2025. Battle played 83 total snaps this season between defense and special teams.
Battle is a former wide receiver who played offense in high school — he earned a 4-star recruiting ranking and initially committed to Oregon before de-committing and enrolling at Ole Miss. His transition to cornerback only came halfway through the 2020 season before he then transferred to Utah and declared for the 2024 NFL Draft.
Battle is built like Dolphins cornerback JuJu Brents. Big, tall, long, physical, and surprisingly explosive. At his Utah Pro Day, Battle logged a 4.37s 40-yard dash, a 37″ vertical jump, a 10’07” standing broad jump and a 6.84 second 3-cone drill. Those are quite the athletic numbers for a 6-foot-3 cornerback. Perhaps this is (only) a lottery ticket at cornerback. But it could also be an omen for the Jeff Hafley Dolphins. If Miami goes shopping and comes home with more big corners, take it as a sign. As the saying goes, “once is random, twice is a coincidence, thrice is a pattern”. We’re one down and two to go before it’s time to make an assumption.
Miami Dolphins News
A retirement elsewhere just gave the Dolphins a new opportunity to explore trading away one of their biggest looming cap decisions
The Dolphins should pick up the phone ASAP.
