Jason McCourty is joining the Miami Dolphins where he will be reunited with his former coach Brian Flores. The veteran defensive back played for Flores in New England, when the current Dolphins head coach was organizing the Patriots’ defense.
Will Help With Playoff Push
McCourty leaves the Patriots after playing three seasons together with his brother Devin. Despite changing franchises the defensive back will stay in the AFC East, and the Miami Dolphins will hope that McCourty will be that senior voice that helps their young team to make it to the playoffs.
To make room for McCourty, the Dolphins have released safety Bobby McCain whose departure frees up some salary cap space. However, it also opens up the possibility that McCourty might be used as safety in the Dolphins’ defense.
Corner or Safety?
The teams where McCourty played before going to Miami, especially Cleveland and New England, thought about moving him to safety. They looked at him as a possible emergency replacement for that position, even though the 34-year-old has spent the entirety of his career as a corner.
The fact that Miami signed McCourty just as they were saying goodbye to McCain could be a sign that the former Patriots’ defensive back will line up as safety for the Dolphins.
Another reason why McCourty might have been brought to Miami to be a safety is who the Dolphins have at corner. On one side, they have Xavien Howard, the leader in interceptions in the NFL in 2020. On the other is Byron Jones, a player who didn’t excel as safety, but has been quite good at corner. Brian Flores’ team also has Noah Igbinoghene to play as safety and Justin Coleman who can play nickelback.
That means that the former Patriots defense coach might have brought McCourty to Miami not to play as corner but as safety.
Exploring All Options
However, the more likely scenario is that the Dolphins want to keep their options open and are looking at several possible solutions to improve their defence.
So, chances are that Flores is probably exploring all his defensive options going into the new season and we might see some more defensive moves by the Dolphins before the season starts.
So, chances are that Flores is probably exploring all his defensive options going into the new season and we might see some more defensive moves by the Dolphins before the season starts.
Malik Hooker’s recent Miami visit signals that this might be the case. The 25-year-old free agent plays safety and he came to Miami when McCain was leaving and McCourty joining.
So, chances are that Flores is probably exploring all his defensive options going into the new season and we might see some more defensive moves by the Dolphins before the season starts.