Safety Stories: On Colbert, Jones and Former CBs
The Miami Dolphins are making changes at the safety position, letting go two players who were contributors in 2019.
Steven Parker was released this week after starting four games last season, and now there are multiple reports that former University of Miami player Adrian Colbert will be released.
Colbert started the final five games of the 2019 season after being signed off the Seattle Seahawks practice squad. The Dolphins declined to extend a tender to Colbert when he became a restricted free agent this offseason, but they then re-signed him to a one-year contract.
The moves will leave the Dolphins with six safeties on the roster — Eric Rowe, Bobby McCain, rookie third-round pick Brandon Jones, free agent pick-ups Kavon Frazier and Clayton Fejedelem, and newcomer Jeremiah Dinson.
Of that group, it should be noted that Dinson was just picked up Saturday off waivers and Fejedelem played almost exclusively on special teams during his four seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals.
Oh, and we shouldn't forget to mention that Rowe and McCain both are converted cornerbacks.
So the moves of cutting Parker and Colbert clearly suggest a high level of confidence in the ability of Rowe and McCain to thrive at safety, as well as confidence in Jones.
The rookie from Texas is a strong tackler with some versatility. He has experienced lining up as a slot corner, and returned some punts in college.
New defensive backs coach Gerald Alexander, who had a stint with the Dolphins in 2011, talked about the challenge of the position switch for both Rowe and McCain.
“Well, for me, it’s a very familiar challenge, because I personally went through that myself as a corner in college and transitioned into safety prior to my career in the National Football League," Alexander said. "So it’s something I’m familiar with. It’s different but those guys definitely have done the necessary things to transition into that role. It’s just continuing to have them improve throughout practice. When you’re not a safety, you’re not being that primary communicator as you are in that position. These guys have been doing a good job and we’ll continue to develop their communication out there on the field so they can take command and be quarterbacks of their defense.”
Rowe switched over from cornerback to safety on a full-time basis for the final eight games of the 2019 season and allowed quarterbacks a passer rating of 60 or more when targeting him only once in that time. In the first eight games, opposing QBs topped 90 on five occasions.
McCain had his ups and downs in 2019 in his first season at safety after playing cornerback (usually the slot) in his first four years in the NFL. Advanced stats gave opposing quarterbacks a 94.0 passer rating when targeting McCain based on 12 completions in 18 attempts.
That actually was a far better figure than in 2018 when advanced stats had McCain allowing QBs at 125.4 passer rating when targeted. That was the one season McCain lined up on the boundary opposite Xavien Howard because the Dolphins could not find another alternative.
McCain's best success in the NFL, though official advanced stats are not available, clearly came when he lined up as the nickel corner.
With Parker and Colbert gone, though, it certainly does appear that McCain is in line to start at safety for a second consecutive year. Then again, as busy as the Dolphins have been in making moves, who's to say what the lineup will look like a month from now.
