Dolphins counting on more players to step up as injuries strike cornerback position again

As injuries have tested the depth of various position groups, Dolphins players have often uttered a “next man up” mantra.

No position group has taken on that slogan more than the cornerback room.

Byron Jones’ absence in training camp placed Trill Williams in a more prominent role until he tore his ACL in the preseason opener. Mackensie Alexander was subsequently signed but quickly sustained an injury, which eventually led to a starting spot for undrafted rookie Kader Kohou.

With the latest injury — Nik Needham’s season-ending Achilles tear — to what was supposed to be the team’s deepest position group, the Dolphins are again preparing for seldom-used players to log significant snaps at cornerback.

“I’m always confident in the group we have, just because they prove it to me every day,” Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel said. “It is challenging. People get more reps that have already been seeing reps. But I think it’s to the credit of the personnel department, the players themselves and really our coaches, that guys are able to step in and play to the technique and consistency. If we didn’t have the competitors and loyal teammates in that room that were NFL talents, it would worry me. But just like it’s been going on since August, we’ve had guys get dinged and guys step up. That’s what that room does. That’s the only way those guys know how to do it.”

In the Dolphins’ Week 6 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Needham was injured in the second quarter and Keion Crossen left the game shortly afterward with a knee injury. Kohou was already inactive with an oblique injury, leaving the defense with three cornerbacks for the rest of the game: Xavien Howard, Noah Igbinoghene and Justin Bethel.

The availability of Kohou and Crossen is in question for Sunday night’s home game against the Pittsburgh Steelers — Crossen hasn’t practiced this week — which could particularly lead to a bigger role for Igbinoghene, the No. 30 overall pick in the 2019 Draft.

Igbinoghene stepped into the boundary position opposite Howard without Needham and Crossen, playing 31 defensive snaps for the second consecutive game. Though he was flagged for pass interference, Igbinoghene was targeted twice, had one pass breakup and didn’t allow a catch in 19 coverage snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. Coaches said Igbinoghene’s performance marked a positive step forward for the third-year player who has struggled at times and fallen behind on the depth chart in his first few seasons.

“He’s kind of risen to the challenge,” defensive coordinator Josh Boyer said.

Cornerbacks coach and pass game specialist Sam Madison said that while he was pleased with Igbinoghene’s play, he wants him to “attack the ball” and turn opportunities for a pass breakup into an interception.

Igbinoghene agreed with Madison and said he believes he’s improved with being physical with wide receivers at the line of scrimmage.

“I’m just getting comfortable being out there,” Igbinoghene said, “because I haven’t really been out there too much in my career. It’s starting to feel like college again, just being out there and being out there a lot. Whatever [the coaches] want me to do, I’m going to do, and I look forward for that confidence to continue to grow and for me to excel.”

Bethel, who has been a core special teams player for the majority of his career, played 13 snaps against the Vikings, primarily in the slot. It was the most snaps Bethel has played since Week 15 of the 2017 season as a member of the New England Patriots. Bethel, 32, was targeted twice and didn’t allow a reception in 11 coverage snaps, according to PFF.

If one or both of Crossen and Kohou is unable to play Sunday, Igbinoghene and Bethel will likely have a heavy workload against a Steelers offense that, while albeit struggling, uses three-wide-receiver sets at one of the highest rates in the NFL. According to the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, only four teams run more 11 personnel [one running back, one tight end, three wide receivers] than Pittsburgh. It hasn’t been an efficient personnel grouping for the Steelers, though. Their 5 yards per play in 11 personnel ranks tied for 26th.

“What we have on the roster is what we have on the roster,” Madison said. “We always say the next man up and these guys are doing an unbelievable job of understanding what we’re trying to get done.”