Douglas Award More Confirmation the Dolphins Got It Right at Cornerback

Rasul Douglas was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week

Miami Dolphins cornerback Rasul Douglas (26) intercepts the ball against New York Jets wide receiver John Metchie III (3) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. | Ed Mulholland-Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins got it at right at cornerback after an offseason of uncertainty.

Rasul Douglas winning AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his performance in the Week 14 victory against the New York Jets was just icing on the cake.

Douglas was honored for his efforts in the 34-10 victory at MetLife Stadium during which he recorded a momentum-turning interception late in the second quarter and also had five passes defensed, the first time a Dolphins player had that combination since 2020 when Eric Rowe did it.

It's the third time this season as Dolphins defensive player was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week, with LB Jordyn Brooks earned the recognition for Week 8 against the Atlanta Falcons and Week 11 against the Washington Commanders.

DOUGLAS DELIVERING BIG TIME

Even before earning AFC honors, Douglas was performing at a high level for the Dolphins, a level that maybe they didn't even have the right to expect after the cornerback's down year with the Buffalo Bills in 2024.

Douglas has two interceptions on the season, both of them in the past two games, but his coverage work has been pretty impressive beyond that.

According to Pro Football Reference, Douglas' opponent passer rating when targeted is 67.6, which ranks 10th among NFL cornerbacks and is better than anything the Dolphins got from any player in 2024 (Kader Kohou had the best mark at 79.3).

Pro Football Focus, meanwhile, has him ranked fifth among 109 NFL cornerbacks behind only Devon Witherspoon of the Seattle Seahawks, Jamel Dean of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, James Pierre of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and Donte Jackson of the Los Angeles Chargers.

Not bad for a player the Dolphins didn't sign until August 26.

That was exactly one month after the Dolphins signed fellow cornerback Jack Jones in the aftermath of Kohou's season-ending knee injury.

Jones earned a starting job in training camp, and Douglas joined him in the starting lineup after emerging cornerback Storm Duck was injured in the opener (before he sustained a season-ending knee injury).

Jones hasn't been quite as effective as Douglas this season, but he also has had some big moments, most notably the forced fumbles against the New York Jets in Week 4 and in the big win against the Buffalo Bills in Week 10 plus obviously the overtime interception that set up the game-winning field goal in the Spain game against the Washington Commanders.

Put together, the Dolphins have gotten better play at cornerback this season than they did last year when Jalen Ramsey and Kendall Fuller were the starters.

And that's pretty good when you consider the Dolphins entered training camp with a whole bunch of young players and a whole bunch of questions.

Thanks to Douglas and Jones, the Dolphins have found solutions at cornerback.

Again, Douglas' AFC award Wednesday was just a bonus.