Wheels Continue to Turn in Dolphins Secondary

Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Mike Hilton (21) celebrates a stop in the fourth quarter of the NFL Week 18 game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Cincinnati Bengals at Acrisure Stadium in Pittsburgh on Saturday, Jan. 4, 2025. | Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Miami Dolphins secondary is going through changes at a pace so fast it's hard to keep up.

The latest move involved the team agreeing to terms with veteran Mike Hilton, the news coming less than three hours after they signed cornerback Jack Jones.

They become the second and third defensive backs the Dolphins have signed this week, with Cornell Armstrong joining the team Thursday.

On the flip side, the Dolphins placed veteran cornerback Artie Burns Jr. on injured reserve after tore an ACL in the first practice of camp and they waived Ryan Cooper Jr. on Saturday.

And while we don't know for sure yet whether the Hilton signing was related, but fourth-year veteran Kader Kohou left practice early Saturday after being injured while covering Tyreek Hill in a receiver-vs.-DB drill.

As Hill made a hard cut outside — the receiver is limited to one half of the field — Kohou fell forward toward the end zone.

He then immediately grabbed his left knee before eventually limping off the sideline. After being examined, he walked off the field with a trainer, at first showing a clear limp but looking much better as he got closer to walking inside the Baptist Health Training Complex. He did not return to practice.

THE BOOK ON HILTON

Hilton is a nickel corner with seven years of experience, the last four with the Cincinnati Bengals after he spent his first three seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Hilton, who turned 31 in March, has made 52 career starts, including 10 last season, and has recorded at least one interception every year he's been in the NFL.

His coverage metrics took a dip last season after really strong seasons in 2022 and 2023, his Pro Football Reference opponent passer rating when targeted going from 78.8 to 66.5 and 92.0 in 2024.

Hilton also has ability as a blitzer, with 11 career sacks on his resume.

Word out of Cincinnati is new defensive coordinator Al Golden wanted to get younger with the personnel, which is why the Bengals chose not to re-sign him as an unrestricted free agent.