Breaking Down the Addition of Sheldrick Redwine
The Miami Dolphins already have an overcrowded secondary on their active roster, but that apparently hasn't stopped them from adding to it.
The team will be signing safety Sheldrick Redwine off the Carolina Panthers practice squad, according to a report by ESPN's Marcel Louis-Jacques and confirmed by a league source.
Even before signing Redwine, the Dolphins already had 12 defensive backs on their 53-man roster. That total included four safeties — Eric Rowe, Jevon Holland, Brandon Jones and Clayton Fejedelem — and veteran Jason McCourty has been used at safety as well this year even though he's listed on the roster as a "defensive back."
For the record, the other DBs on the active roster are Xavien Howard, Byron Jones, Nik Needham, Justin Coleman, Noah Igbinoghene, Elijah Campbell and Trill Williams.
Bottom line: That's an awful lot of DBs and safeties on a 53-man roster.
When they officially sign Redwine, the Dolphins will have to make a corresponding move — whether it be waiving a player or putting somebody on IR — because they're at the 53-player limit.
Two players to keep an eye on in the secondary are Igbinoghene, who sustained a knee injury in practice Friday and was inactive against Atlanta; and McCourty, who sustained a foot injury in the fourth quarter of the 30-28 loss against the Falcons.
Redwine comes to the Dolphins having played 29 games with eight starts since entering the NFL as a fourth-round pick of the Cleveland Browns in 2019. His two games this season came with the New York Jets, who later released him from both their active roster and practice squad before he hooked up with Carolina's practice squad.
His career stats include one regular season interception (against Indianapolis last season), plus another in Cleveland's 48-37 victory against Pittsburgh in the 2020 playoffs.
Here's a quick scouting report on Redwine from Pete Smith of SI Fan Nation sister site Browns Digest: "Sheldrick Redwine entered the league as a free safety with some experience in the slot. A decent coverage safety, his best season might have been as a rookie. Since then, he hasn't really improved and his poor tackling stands out the more he plays. (An) injury derailed any chance to make the Browns roster this year."
