Sorting out Miami Dolphins' Jumbled Secondary

The Miami Dolphins deserve a lot of credit for their handling of the 2015 offseason. 

Aside from the fact that they somehow managed to squeeze some value out of Mike Wallace and Dannell Ellerbe, they have systematically taken action at multiple positions on their roster that needed an overhaul. In some spots, the Dolphins have made additions; in others, it's been addition by subtraction; but one spot that's still a question mark is the cornerback position.

Quite frankly, they have more question marks than The Riddler.

Signing Brice McCain and Zack Bowman has brought the team closer to the answers they seek, but things are still taking shape in the secondary.

We know one thing for sure: One of those spots will be occupied by Pro Bowl cornerback Brent Grimes. At 31 years old, the eight-year veteran is still playing top-notch football, and at 5'10" and 190 pounds, he's still proving he measures up to the best the NFL has to offer.

One thing appears certain, but can't be verified for another few weeks: The Dolphins are not comfortable with Jamar Taylor as the No. 2 cornerback opposite Grimes. According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, the Dolphins are "looking very closely at draft options," and have lined up visits with three top cornerbacks—Michigan State's Trae Waynes, LSU's Jalen Collins and Wake Forest's Kevin Johnson.

They've already underscored their feelings on Taylor by signing Bowman, as the two will compete for the starting job opposite Grimes.

Bowman is slightly bigger at 6'1" and 196 pounds to Taylor's 5'10" and 200 pounds. He's far more experienced, entering his eighth season while Taylor enters his third season. The question is how much Bowman has left in the tank, at 30 years old to Taylor's 24, and whether the upgrade is worth depriving Taylor of valuable playing experience, which is exactly what happened last year when the Dolphins signed Cortland Finnegan. 

Player	Ht	Wt	Age	Exp
Brent Grimes	5'10"	190	31	8
Brice McCain	5'9"	187	28	7
Jamar Taylor	5'10"	200	24	2
Zack Bowman	6'1"	196	30	8
Walt Aikens	6'1"	210	23	1
Will Davis	5'11"	190	24	2

Another virtual certainty is that Brice McCain will be the team's primary slot corner; he's been an ace in the slot, and ranked No. 4 in the NFL last year in cover snaps per reception from the slot (12.9 snaps per reception), according to Pro Football Focus. He also ranked ninth in yards per cover snap from the slot (0.83 yards per cover snap), and his rate of 8.1 snaps in coverage per target in the slot was also fifth-best. 

So, there is some measure of certainty to the group, but questions remain.

How do Will Davis and Walt Aikens fit into the equation? The 2013 third-round pick and 2014 fourth-round pick have played a combined 264 snaps on defense in their careers, with Davis accounting for all but 65 of those snaps.

They've both held down roles on special teams in the early stages of their careers, but the Dolphins coaching staff would certainly love for one or both of them to make an imprint during organized team activities and mandatory minicamp this offseason.

In the meantime, the Dolphins have no choice but to keep their options open. 

Aikens is the one with the best build for the perimeter. Clocking in at just over 6'0" tall and 205 pounds with 32.25" arms at the 2014 combine, he has the frame to be a press-man corner on the outside, matching up with the other big-bodied receivers he'll see on the outside. Davis gives up only a little size, measuring in at 5'11" and 186 pounds with 31.5" arms at the 2013 combine.

If the Dolphins are indeed looking at the top of the draft board for upgrades over Taylor, players like Davis and Aikens may become afterthoughts and lose their opportunity to prove themselves worthy of a starting role.

Whether it's Waynes, Collins or Johnson, the Dolphins would be looking at a boundary cornerback for the future. All three have been projected as top-20 picks in the draft, so the Dolphins could have their choice of two or all three. 

The one thing to keep in mind about the Dolphins secondary is that they have the freedom to experiment thanks to a talented front four that should put a lot of pressure on quarterbacks. Cameron Wake and Olivier Vernon are already a great pair of defensive ends, but adding defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh to the middle of the line should only put more teeth into the pass rush. 

A hurried quarterback is an off-balance quarterback; an off-balance quarterback is an inaccurate quarterback; an inaccurate quarterback is a bad quarterback. Disruption leads to dysfunction in the passing game, and the Dolphins defensive line should create both.

There are still some questions remaining, but there's still some time remaining to answer them. 

Unless otherwise noted, all advanced statistics provided by ProFootballFocus.com.