The Dolphins and cornerback Richard Marshall have agreed to a three-year contract.
The deal was confirmed by Marshall himself on his twiter feed.
"Just agreed with the dolphins on a 3 yr deal they made me stay in Miami lol," Marshall tweeted.
Marshall, 27, is a six-year veteran who played five seasons with Carolina and last season with Arizona. In 2011, he started six games, played in 16 and finished with three interceptions and 11 passes defensed.
The details of the deal are not yet available as it is not yet signed.
[Update: A source tells me the contract will be for three years and $15.975 million with $6 million in guaranteed money.]
The Dolphins have been searching for a cornerback that could compete with Sean Smith for a starting job. A likely scenario could be to have the so-called loser of that competition still play as the third corner in nickel and dime packages.
The role of the nickel corner has increased dramatically in recent years as passing has become an NFL staple. Third corners are really starters without getting the pregame introduction. They typcially play up to 60-65 percent of the plays.
Marshall has also spent time at safety. There is a chance he might get a shot at Miami's free safety position. The idea, ultimately, is to improve a secondary and defense that finished 21st in the NFL in percentage of passes intercepted.
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Put Smith in press coverage and there will not be an issue. It is that simple.
Posted by: jeff | March 15, 2012 at 11:28 AM
We have a new Marshall in town,actully its a nice pick up this guy is at least 2 notches above S.Smith,he will catch the the ball(INT) instead of dropping them ala S.Smith.
Im also pleased that Pual Soliai will be back his big body will continue to free up the LB's and clutter the back field.
Hopefuly the Phins begin to start making moves that will continue to strenghten the OL.
I agree with most who say lets go get Wallace,but not with those who like Blackmon, I think a reciever like Blackmon can be found with a 3rd rd pick and I don't see a Calvin or Andre Johnson out there.
Posted by: socalfin19723 | March 15, 2012 at 11:34 AM
Right now I'm trusting that there is a plan in place.
DB was a position of need. We were 21st against the pass last year and obviously an area we need to improve. Don't know much about Marshall, so we'll see.
Paul Solai is young and one of the best in the game, had a lot of interest, and chose to stay with the Dolphins- ensuring we will remain awesome against the run. Continuity. How awful would it have been if he had gone to the Patriots- who were interested.
Brandon Marshall was a BEAST at being a pain-in-the-rear, and never quite lived up to his potential while in Miami. Yes, other defenses had to plan for him, but catching touchdown passes is what helps a team win. We just never saw enough on that on the field when it mattered. I got tired of, "OK, now this year I'm really going to be a Beast... or a monster...or whatever."
If we can grab DE Ingram at #8, then maybe it starts to look like a plan unfolding. We don't have much more cap space unless there is a plan for creating more. I assume we're looking to the draft for RT, WR, TE?
Now we await Peyton Manning's decision.
Posted by: Northwest | March 15, 2012 at 11:58 AM
Ok I think I figured it out, Ross is a Jet Fan with megabucks to burn and needs a tax write off, so he comes down to Miami and does what anyone would do if you hated a team so much you put on a face of caring and act like you are trying to improve the team you bought while secretly doing everything possible to destroy it, its kind of like our President who is behind the scenes destroying this country at every turn.
Posted by: RayG | March 15, 2012 at 04:27 PM
It's funny to say "a corner that could compete with Sean Smith for the starting corner job". I think that I could probably compete with Sean Smith or Davis for their jobs, and I probably couldn't cover squat. Both these two guys appear to be huge busts for us, and just another example of how pathetic we've become... I'd try to unload them in favor of some picks.
Posted by: John B | March 16, 2012 at 10:45 AM
Thanks for making my morning a little bit better with this great article!!
Posted by: herve leger | March 24, 2012 at 04:34 AM