Brent Grimes

5'10", 183 lbs

Age: 29

2012 Team: Atlanta Falcons

STUD - He is a top 6 Defensive Back, which means his CornerBack skills are top notch!!

Chris Houston

5'11", 178 lbs

Age: 28

2012 Team: Detroit Lions

Statistically, Houston has numbers similar to Sean Smith, despite being physically smaller. Houston's outlier is his 2011 season, in which he made five interceptions and returned two for touchdowns. He led the NFL in interception return yardage that year.

Houston is a respected leader in the Lions' locker room, as he was named Detroit's 2013 Defensive Player of the Year by his peers. Leadership is an important quality for Jeff Ireland.



Derek Cox

6'1", 195 lbs

Age: 26

2012 Team: Jacksonville Jaguars

Cox has made 12 interceptions in his first four seasons, despite only playing six games in 2011.

He has the size and skills to succeed in the NFL and, at only 26 years of age, Pro Football Focus considers Cox a "Secret Superstar."

Because he has played solely for the Jacksonville Jaguars, Cox may be a free agent bargain.

Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

6'2", 182 lbs

Age: 26

2012 Team: Philadelphia Eagles

Rodgers-Cromartie has made 16 interceptions in his five NFL seasons and returned four for touchdowns. He is also a ball-hawk, defending 84 passes in the same time frame.

He has blazing speed (4.33 sec 40-yard dash) with height and length. Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer believes Rodgers-Cromartie can find a big contract in the open market and the Eagles may franchise him for more than $10 million.

Cary Williams

6'1", 190 lbs

Age: 28

2012 Team: Baltimore Ravens

Williams is a Super Bowl champion and a South Florida native who played high school football at Chaminade-Madonna in Hollywood, Florida.

He did not make an interception until 2012, his fifth NFL season. To be fair, he was not a starter until 2011, and that year he made 78 combined tackles and defended 18 passes.

In the 2012 regular season, he made 75 tackles and caught four interceptions.

Chris Gamble

6'1", 205 lbs

Age: 29

2012 Team: Carolina Panthers

Gamble is not a free agent but is expected to be released sometime before the free agency signing period begins because of Carolina's salary cap woes.

Gamble has been a steady performer for nine NFL seasons and can compete with any free-agent corner on the market in 2013.

There are many more corners in free agency and more corners will be cut in the next few weeks. This should be interesting!

Thanks for the info Freak! There are some pretty damn good options and as you said, it should be interesting (Hopefully anyway!)

I think i'd be happy with any one of these guys as an upgrade to Sean Smith (especially considering Smith seems to be wanting elite money when his play is nowhere near) IMO, if Ireland franchises Smith he should be dragged from the castle & burned at the stake..or at least fired immediately!

Out of the group listed, i always return to Grimes, b/c i believe with him coming off injury he can be had without totally breaking the bank - He was an elite talent before the injury and see no big reason to believe he won't return to form when he returns..Plus one could make the case that PFF would still rank a one-legged Grimes over Sean Smith!

I'd love to have DRC; one of the best in the biz! (Who wouldn't, right??), but it's gonna take a ton of money to sign him, so i really don't see him as an option in our plans..

I'm also a big fan of Derek Cox, kid looks to be a playmaker on a terrible JAX team..i'd love to see him in a Fins uni.

I really wouldn't mind seeing us sign two from this list (if the price is right of course) I could see us going after either Grimes or Cox, and possibly looking to add a veteran like Gamble if he's released and can be signed relatively cheap...

do we have enough to get Cox,Grimes at cb. Jennings at wr, keep hartline and fasano an 2 of our other FA? then we just get what we need in the draft

evildolphin wrote:


Whether we have the $$ or not, i don't see us getting both Grimes & Cox (Really good Corners usually demand really big $$ in FA!) So i was thinking one of the two, & a guy like Gamble who i'm thinking could be cheaper, but who really knows in FA?? But that's why i'm thinking Grimes coming off the ACL and a little older might be able to be signed to a reasonable contract..then sign another guy like a Gamble...I wanted to re-sign Smith to a fair contract for continuity purposes with a serious upgrade on the other side, but i see someone like Tampa Bay over-paying for Smith in FA...

I don't know does Smith turn into a Troy Vincent??? Played fair while with the Dolphins but played better for the Eagles...

Dolphman wrote:


IMO, you always run that risk..but i'm not a big fan of drastically over-paying a guy who has proven himself to be just average at best...I'd rather take the same money he thinks he's worth and getting a proven playmaker..

For this team, I see Cox as the only possible option. DRC would be another but, don't see us getting into a bidding war. Age, injury, and not being anything special scare me off the others.

I would look for FA's who will be in their prime two years from now, not on their downside, or pass and roll the dice in the draft.

If I was going to sign an older vet, it would be a cheaper vet after the draft as a band aid and teacher.

Southbeach wrote:


Very good point; i guess we're all pretty much thinking that barring some major miracle..the best we can hope for this coming season would be an overall improvement and a decent chance at making the playoffs..Looking at it that way, it does seem pretty appealing to try and land a guy like Cox who is still very young and already showing some good playmaking ability rather than a veteran who'll be on the downside a few years from now..I would still like to see a veteran presence added as an anchor to our def. backfield.

Driven_Phinsane wrote:


Grimes AND Cox? I like the way you think! AHA I am not going to get my hopes up that the Dolphins will do something like that but it is definitely fun to think about. I know people have mentioned the Dolphins signing two WR's in free agency, and that would make me extremely happy, but if the Dolphins signed two CB's I would be equally as happy. The Dolphins secondary made me disgusted last season, they looked like a bad high school team when ever there was a deep ball.

Cox has not proven much in playing 5 games in 2011, and 12 last year but, gave up only one TD. He is a bit below average in run support, below average on a pass rush, and has had a number of penalties. He is a risk who may turn out well.

Given a choice, I would take a 2nd round pick in the draft over him, who was a 3rd rounder 4 years ago.

The more I look at him, the more I'm thinking pass.

Southbeach wrote:


Derek Cox is a perfect player to compare to Sean Smith. They are roughly the same age and both pretty tall corners. They have both played in the the NFL for four years a piece.

Sean Smith's Numbers (Four Years)
Games Played - 64
Tackles - 180
Pass Deflections - 40
INT's - 5

Derek Cox's Numbers (Four Years) 17 Less Games Though
Games Played - 47
Tackles - 170
Pass Deflections - 32
INT's - 12


After looking at these numbers I think Cox is by far the better cornerback. My big red flag is simple - why did Cox miss so many games in his four years in the NFL? I don't know enough about him to answer that but if I had the answer to that question I could better assess this situation.

Cox played 17 less games than Smith but deflected almost as many balls and had more than twice as many interceptions as Smith.

Grimes AND Cox? I like the way you think! AHA I am not going to get my hopes up that the Dolphins will do something like that but it is definitely fun to think about. I know people have mentioned the Dolphins signing two WR's in free agency, and that would make me extremely happy, but if the Dolphins signed two CB's I would be equally as happy. The Dolphins secondary made me disgusted last season, they looked like a bad high school team when ever there was a deep ball.[/quote]
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I mostly agree on the secondary DF. However, I do have to consider the new D, VD's late trade, Marshall going down, and guys switching positions in the new D on a regular basis. It was you're a S, no a Slot. You're a slot, no a CB. Youre a dime, no a nickel, no a CB. You get my drift.

NOT saying we have a ton of talent when healthy, just that it was rougher for Coyle and the DB's than any other position on the team.

DolphinsFreak wrote:

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I looked him up DF. In 2009, he played 983 snaps as a starter, and was horrible with a negative grade of 14.3 with 11 missed tackles.

In 2010, he was in for 691 snaps, with a very bad grade 0f -5.2, with 5 missed tackles.

In 2011, he was in for 337 snaps and a +5.6 grade.

In 2011, it was 777 snaps and a +1.2 grade.

I do not know for a fact but, based on snaps, am thinking he was moved to nickel/dime or slot after failing at CB.

I now definitely do not want him.

Southbeach wrote:

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I mostly agree on the secondary DF. However, I do have to consider the new D, VD's late trade, Marshall going down, and guys switching positions in the new D on a regular basis. It was you're a S, no a Slot. You're a slot, no a CB. Youre a dime, no a nickel, no a CB. You get my drift.

NOT saying we have a ton of talent when healthy, just that it was rougher for Coyle and the DB's than any other position on the team.[/quote]

Yeah, I saw that most of the year but it was my opinion that all that was happening because of lack of talent. Let's face facts, the Dolphins secondary is weak and it wasn't because of injuries or a new defensive scheme, it has more to do with lack of talent. If Coyle had the players the Dolphins defense would be scary. I am really impressed with what Coyle did last season with the players that he was given. With that said, I would really like to see what Coyle can do with some playmakers on his defense, with cornerbacks who can actually catch a football AND more importantly, DB's that TURN THEIR F*&CKING HEAD WHEN THE BALL IS IN THE AIR!

I want the Dolphins to sign Jennings or Wallace and go after a TE, but I really want them to improve their defense so they don't look embarrassing back there.

DolphinsFreak wrote:


Yeah, I saw that most of the year but it was my opinion that all that was happening because of lack of talent. Let's face facts, the Dolphins secondary is weak and it wasn't because of injuries or a new defensive scheme, it has more to do with lack of talent. If Coyle had the players the Dolphins defense would be scary. I am really impressed with what Coyle did last season with the players that he was given. With that said, I would really like to see what Coyle can do with some playmakers on his defense, with cornerbacks who can actually catch a football AND more importantly, DB's that TURN THEIR F*&CKING HEAD WHEN THE BALL IS IN THE AIR!

I want the Dolphins to sign Jennings or Wallace and go after a TE, but I really want them to improve their defense so they don't look embarrassing back there.[/quote]
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No disputing the lack of talent showing last year at CB. I have to think the lak of any stability did hurt though. The safeties were the same all year and played really well, surprisingly so.