A new big name has hit the free agent market this morning as the news has broke that the Cincinnati Bengals have released cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick. A former 1st-round pick, Kirkpatrick will now look to find his next NFL home with just a few weeks before the 2020 NFL Draft. Once the draft comes and goes, selling teams may be an even harder proposition — so time could be of the essence.
Should Kirkpatrick be of any interest to Miami? After all, this is a team that is expected to run a lot of defensive back heavy personnel groups under head coach Brian Flores.
No. It’s hard to envision Miami being players on this one. A potential signing of Kirkpatrick would fly in the face of seemingly everything Miami has done thus far in free agency — the Dolphins are clearly prioritized younger talent to help continue the team’s youth movement. At 30 years old, Kirkpatrick is likely beyond a fit for what Miami would like to target.
Furthermore, the addition of Byron Jones to the roster gives Miami two lockdown cornerbacks — and one hell of an expensive secondary. The Dolphins do, of course, need depth and protection from any additional injuries to Xavien Howard’s troublesome knee, but Kirkpatrick doesn’t feel like the right play; at least unless he’s willing to take a one-year deal to help prove he can still play at a high level.
A low cost deal is the only way Kirkpatrick would make any sense for the Dolphins, and we’re much too early to be able to decipher whether or not Kirkpatrick’s market is going to price him out of the Dolphins’ logical spending range. If he isn’t signed by the 2020 NFL Draft, it might be time to revisit. But for now, Miami is best off holding their cards and waiting to see how the cornerback market plays out, first.
