The Miami Dolphins announced on Monday they have signed veteran cornerback Kendall Sheffield, who has playing experience with the New York Jets and the Atlanta Falcons.
Sheffield attended the Dolphins’ rookie minicamp over the weekend and made a good enough impression for the Dolphins to keep him around.
He was drafted in the fourth round out of Ohio State University in 2019, where he also ran track. He is known for his long speed, as he set the Buckeyes’ record in the 60-meter indoor competition. His record of 6.663 seconds still stands in present day.
Will Sheffield Make Roster?
Dante Collinelli of Miami Dolphins on SI believes Sheffield is a long shot to make the final roster. Despite the Dolphins being devoid of cornerbacks, Sheffield is not going to confuse anyone with being Jalen Ramsey or Kendall Fuller.
“Sheffield is still a long shot to make the team, and he’s more likely in competition with veteran Artie Burns to make an impact on special teams,” Collinelli said. “Like Sheffield, Burns has bounced around the league a bit in recent seasons while mostly playing on special teams.”
Sheffield started 20 games during his first two seasons in the league, but has not seen much live action since then. He played 92 defensive snaps and 48 special teams snaps for the Jets last season.
Miami needed to sign a few cornerbacks just to practice in training camp. With Fuller having been released and Ramsey expected to be traded, the Dolphins have to concentrate on having enough players at the position for the offseason regimen.
Dolphins Need Reliable Corners
The Miami Dolphins need two reliable starters at cornerback, and Collinelli does not think Sheffield is one of them.
“Right now, the Dolphins have Kader Kohou slated to start either outside or in the slot, but don’t have any established players guaranteed to fill the other two spots,” Collinelli said. “Some of the contenders include fifth-round pick Jason Marshall, Jr., UDFA BJ Adams and former UDFA’s Storm Duck and Ethan Bonner.”
Miami has been fishing for corners with more experience than Sheffield possesses.
Recent reports have stated that the Dolphins have been in contact with veteran cornerbacks like Rasul Douglas. Douglas spent last season with the Buffalo Bills and is a standout corner.
In 15 starts last season, Douglas amassed 43 tackles and five passes defended. He also had one forced fumble.
“Rasul Douglas may be a name to target in Miami’s Cover 2-heavy scheme (19.7%, third in NFL), a coverage he excelled in last season, having earned a 74.4 PFF coverage grade,” Mason Cameron of PFF wrote.
Samuel is a long shot because he does not really fit into Miami’s free agent salary structure. He will be the most cost-prohibitive of the four as he is looking for big bucks. Miami has been in the business lately of offering one-year, cap-friendly deals.
