The Miami Dolphins cut their roster down to 53 this past Tuesday. There were not really a lot of surprises, too, but the most significant move to me was defensive back Byron Jones staying on the physically unable to perform list, meaning he’s out for at least the first four games of the season.
The Dolphins’ depth at cornerback has been tested this preseason with injuries. Trill Williams is out for the season with a torn ACL; Nick Needham has been bothered by a dislocated finger, and others.
To me, the player that has to step up is Noah Igbinoghene. It’s his third season, and after not seeing the field much last year after struggling his rookie season, it’s time for the former 1st round pick to step up. Bill Parcells had a saying for some of his young players; it’s for this player to take his diapers off and get into his street clothes. Igbinoghene has to start showing he’s ready to contribute. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen signs that he’s ready this season, but preseason can be misleading because teams aren’t game-planning and playing vanilla.
I’m not too concerned about the first couple of games because the New England Patriots and Baltimore Ravens aren’t big-time passing teams. Having said that, the Patriots like to attack the weakness in a team’s defense. In Igbinoghene’s rookie season, he got burned several times by Stefon Diggs, and to this day, I don’t understand how he was matched up against him. The third and fourth games are against the Buffalo Bills and the Cincinnati Bengals, and they are known for making big plays in the passing game so that he will get tested.
Sam Madison and Pat Surtain have to coach him up. When those two were hired, I thought they could help the younger players like Igbinoghene from their experience of playing the game.
However, it all comes down to the player. Igbinoghene was the most questionable pick of their three first-round picks in 2020, and so far, he hasn’t proven his worth. This is a pivotal season for him, especially early in the season when the team needs him the most, or else the Dolphins should move on from him. It’s put up or shut up for Igbinoghene.
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