The Miami Dolphins are rumored to be in the cornerback market in free agency. No, the team hasn’t been tied to former Dallas Cowboys standout Byron Jones (yet), but the team has been rumored to have an eye for former Patriots defender Logan Ryan, for starters. The rest of the cornerback market? It looks good across several fronts — but one of the biggest sleepers is Carolina’s James Bradberry. Bradberry is an unrestricted free agent and looking to cash in on a long-term deal.
“Ideal would be a long-term contract, just so I could have some security,” said Bradberry through the Charlotte Observer. “That’s ideal.”
Having been a starter since his rookie season, Bradberry’s play does indeed command a long-term commitment. He’ll turn 27 years old in August, so he’s plenty young and should be a long-term fixture on the boundary for whoever inks him to a deal. Should Miami come calling?
If the Dolphins were to hypothetically land both Ryan from Tennessee and Bradberry from Carolina, this secondary could get pretty scary pretty quickly. He should be expected to command a contract similar to the one projected for Minnesota’s Trae Waynes or the deal signed by Prince Amukamara in Chicago back in 2017 — so about $8.5M to $9M per season.
In the grand scheme of NFL expenses, that’s a good deal for a starting cornerback who plays physical and finds the football. So if that’s where the negotiations range, the Dolphins should absolutely be in on the bidding and try to see Bradberry on the long-term build in South Florida, with him as a key part of the turnaround. If his top priority is long-term stability, the Dolphins’ lack of depth in the secondary is a good aid to the sales pitch.
Free agency opens on Wednesday, March 18th.
