If you were a fan of the Miami Dolphins then this was a tough year to endure. The Dolphins had a myriad of expectations surrounding their team including having one of the best defenses in the league, making the NFL playoffs and potentially competing for a Super Bowl berth. Now, none of those dreams have come to fruition but it doesn’t mean that it can’t eventually happen.
The Dolphins had a myriad of expectations surrounding their team including having one of the best defenses in the league, making the NFL playoffs and potentially competing for a Super Bowl berth. Now, none of those dreams have come to fruition but it doesn’t mean that it can’t eventually happen.
What it does mean though is that some changes are going to have to get made to the roster in order to become better. Even though this Dolphins team needs a lot of help in certain positions all over the roster, one of the moves that shouldn’t even be thought of for more than a few seconds is the decision to bring back cornerback Brent Grimes. With the season-ending loss after the last game against the New England Patriots, it’s unfortunate to say that Grimes is not a lock to continue to play in Miami this year.
In the midst of a playoff filled expected year for Miami, Grimes wasn’t his usual dominant self. A lot of his failure this year has to do with the new coaching staff, the fact that his lovely wife Miko was in the middle of offseason controversy, and dealing with a lot of new moving parts in the secondary. Grimes didn’t play up to the Pro Bowl level that we’ve all grown accustomed to and if general Mike Tannenbaum feels that this team needs to move in a different direction Grimes might not be returning to Miami Gardens, Florida.
Why We Should See a Return
12 hours.
On average it takes around 12 hours to travel from Miami, Florida to Honolulu, Hawaii. For the last two years, Grimes has been able to say that he’s made that trip. Grimes has made it to the NFL Pro Bowl to play in front of fans inside of Aloha Stadium, and those who are watching nationally around the country for the last two seasons. Grimes has been on top of his game as one of the premier cornerbacks in the league because of the way that he defends out of the cornerback position.
“You don’t see Grimes in press coverage all that much. He’s more of an off corner. Kind of like [Courtland] Finnegan, with a lot of quickness and reading routes, and playing with a little more space and then closing that space.”
– Bill Belichick
turning point in the game was brent grimes' int pic.twitter.com/YG1zvuEyrC
— Eric (@EIizondo) October 19, 2015
This year we haven’t been able to see much of Grimes closing space as an off corner as we’ve seen in the past two years but consider the alternative. If the Dolphins don’t bring back Grimes to a team that just finished with a 6-10 record, then how are they ever going to get any better?
The Solution
24.
That’s the number of teams that will be lining up to sign Grimes in free agency if the Dolphins don’t find a way to retain him. In reality, Grimes hasn’t been the problem this season. Sure Sammy Watkins, Dez Bryant, Odell Beckham Jr., and Brandon Marshall all had big games against him but it doesn’t take away his overall impact on the defense.
Since Grimes is getting older in age, it shouldn’t be required that he take on the biggest assignments. Instead, the Dolphins have the opportunity to either draft one of the best cornerbacks in college football with Vernon Hargreaves III, who will most likely be sitting around pick No. 8. As well as they have the option to find more help in free agency.
Either way having Grimes around to teach a younger cornerback, and learning his way of professionalism isn’t a bad concept. It’s an idea that should be embraced because Grimes should be suiting up in Miami next year.
D’Joumbarey A. Moreau covers sports in Miami-Dade & Broward County. You can follow him on Twitter @DJoumbarey.
