Whatever the Dolphins interest in signing free agent Bryant McFadden was, it apparently was not as high as the Cardinals' interest because McFadden on Sunday evening signed a two-year deal with Arizona, according to espn.com.
McFadden's contract is worth $10 million. The deal pays a guaranteed $4.75 million in 2009 with an extra $250,000 in a workout bonus. There is a $5 million in base salary in 2010 but that is not guaranteed. Sounds like a one-year deal to me unless McFadden plays well in 2009.
So where does that leave YOUR Miami Dolphins as they try to fill the cornerback void?
Eric Green, who included the Dolphins among his free agent vists that also saw him travel to Tennessee and San Francisco, is still available. Although the Dolphins didn't make Green a contract offer last week, he expected to begin fielding such offers this week and it would not surprise, considering Miami's situation at cornerback, that they make him an offer.
There are other cornerbacks on the market but the fact they are still available a full 11 days into the free agency signing period suggests they are not necessarily sure-fire starters. In fact, most are not.
Leigh Bodden, released by the Detroit Lions in early February, is a curious situation. Bodden didn't have to wait for free agency to begin to sign with another team yet no one pulled the trigger on him nor he on them. Either the guy is pricing himself too high or teams simply aren't that impressed with a guy who Chad Johnson once called the toughest cornerback to ever cover him. Of course, that was way back in 2005.
Dre' Bly is another former Pro Bowl cornerback that has remained on the market despite becoming available before the start of free agency -- again suggesting something is amiss with the player or his asking price, as no team has stepped forward to sign him.
[Update 1: One name to keep in mind is Justin Miller of the Oakland Raiders. He remains unsigned and is a solid prospect. He is a depth guy, not a starter candidate. But when he was on waivers from the Jets last November, the Dolphins put in a claim for him. It likely had a lot to do with the fact he's a very good special teams player, but he has a future at CB. Tennessee's Chris Carr is a similar type of backup CB/return specialist. Anyway, what ever happened to improving special teams?]
Frankly, many of the other cornerbacks left on the market seem either too old or too stained for the Dolphins. Let me throw some names at you so you understand my point:
Karl Paymah, who the Dolphins burned repeatedly last year.
Sam Madison, who would be great if this was 1999 instead of 2009.
Patrick Surtain, who has had injury issues of late.
Adam "Pacman" Jones, who is a very safe pick considering there are no strip clubs in South Florida.
Ralph Brown, who lost his starting job to Green who then lost his starting job to a rookie.
RW McQuarters, who belongs in a western with a name like that.
David Barrett, who was cut by the Jets.
Oh, and there's always Jamar Fletcher. Fill in your own line here.
All of a sudden, Eric Green is sounding more appealing. All of a sudden, one has to wonder if the Dolphins shouldn't have tried a little harder to re-sign Andre' Goodman.
[Update 2: I have received a crush of e-mails from you suggesting the Dolphins sign this guy or that guy and I appreciate the concern, as I'm sure the Dolphins do. But think about this the next time you believe the Dolphins can fill the void with numbers: Last year the team decided it needed a veteran quarterback in its midst. Free agency offered options but no solutions. The Dolphins went with one of those options anyway, signing Josh McCown even though his career had shown him to be a journeyman backup. When camp opened, amazing but true, McCown looked like a journeyman backup. The point is sometimes signing someone in free agency for the sake of having a body is not the answer. That is a fact the Dolphins no doubt are weighing now as they go through the thin list of talent left at the CB position.]
[Update 3: No need for you guys to get too worked up about this, however. Bill Parcells is not. Tony Sparano is not. Both were at the New York Mets spring training complex Monday morning, hanging with Jeff Wilpon and Jerry Manuel. Sparano is a Mets fan. Trust me, they weren't there scouting Livan Hernandez as a CB prospect.]
[Update 4: The Dolphins are reporting no unrestricted free agent visits today. The team does not report street free agent visits so players such as Bodden and Bly wouldn't be included there.]
Download your Dolphins Football 
Comments