Omar Kelly: Will Dolphins rookie Noah Igbinoghene be able to bounce back from his early struggles?

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Maybe Noah Igbinoghene never heard of this guy named Russell Wilson?

Super Bowl Champion? Seven-time Pro Bowler? Married to a popular entertainer named Ciara?

The Miami Dolphins rookie cornerback, the player Miami selected 30th overall and passed on a ton of talented draft prospects for in the 2020 NFL draft, couldn’t possibly know Wilson was one of the NFL’s hottest quarterbacks coming into Sunday’s 31-23 loss to the undefeated Seattle Seahawks (4-0).

Igbinoghene must not have know Wilson set an NFL record by throwing 14 touchdown passes in the first three games of the season before Sunday’s contest because that’s the only way to explain why the former Auburn standout kept peaking into Seattle’s backfield and letting Seahawks receivers get behind him on passing plays.

Wilson has spent the past nine seasons scrambling out of pressure, buying time in the pocket to throw deep and clutch passes to his weaponry, and during Sunday’s game he exploited Igbinoghene by doing just that.

Igbinoghene, a 20-year-old who has been pressed into action because of Byron Jones’ injuries, peaked into Seattle’s backfield three times, and those mistakes cost the Dolphins 14 points in a close game he helped unravel.

Seahawks receiver David Moore was wide open on a 57-yard bomb that featured him getting behind Igbinoghene on a play where Wilson was scrambling to his left.

The worst part about that play was the fact it came in the final seconds of the second quarter with Miami only trailing, 10-9.

All the Dolphins had to do was make it to halftime, yet there Igbinoghene was peaking into Seattle’s backfield.

That’s what cornerbacks trying to deliver turnovers do, but it’s a violation of every possible football rule to take that approach at the end of a half, while you’re supposed to be playing prevent defense.

Moore’s 57-yard reception put Seattle on Miami’s 7-yard line, and former Hurricanes tailback Travis Homer scored on a 3-yard reception, giving Seattle a 17-9 lead at the half.

But that pre-halftime gaff wasn’t Igbinoghene’s only poor play of Sunday’s loss.

He got caught peaking in the backfield again on Moore’s 17-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter, which followed a 30-yard reception Tyler Lockett caught with Igbinoghene in coverage earlier in that possession.

Those two plays provided Seattle a 24-15 lead, which would eventually continue to grow courtesy of D.K. Metcalf catching a hitch and producing 37-yards running after the catch, setting his offense up at the 1-yard line. The Seahawks would eventually score a touchdown on Chris Carson’s 1-yard run, but neither of those plays can be blamed on Igbinoghene, who happens to be the youngest player in the NFL.

“He’s a rookie. He’s going to have his ups and downs. Last week (against Jacksonville) he played well. This week he didn’t play well. Two weeks ago (against Buffalo) he didn’t play (well),” Dolphins coach Brian Flores said addressing Igbinoghene’s rough start to his NFL career. “He’s going to have some ups and downs. He’s a resilient kid. He’s a talented kid. He’s got to learn from this. We’ll help him. We’ll coach him, and I think he’ll get better.”

The Dolphins have been enduring Igbinoghene’s inconsistent play during the first month of the season, hoping that the growing pains would speed up his development and help him become the cornerback his skill-set and athletic pedigree as the son of two former Olympians indicates he could be.

But his production has been uneven, and if Jones doesn’t come back from his his Achilles and groin injuries in time to play in next Sunday’s road game against the San Francisco 49ers the Dolphins need to consider replacing Igbinoghene with Nik Needham because the rookie’s continued struggles might rattle his confidence.

We’ve seen early struggles rattle Dolphins players before, altering the player’s style and mentality. Jason Allen, another former Dolphins’ first-round pick, is a perfect example of this.

Flores hopes these lessons harden Igbinoghene, who is respected for the toughness and worth ethic he showed during his collegiate career as a receiver and cornerback with the Tigers.

Problem is, he’s not in college anymore, and the foolishness college teams once glossed over, the stuff elite athletes got away with, can be exploited by NFL quarterbacks like Wilson.

Now that Igbinoghene’s putting bad film on tape, and is developing a reputation as a cornerback who sneaks looks at the quarterback instead of keeping his eyes locked in on the defender so don’t be surprised if opposing offensive coordinators design plays to exploit that tendency.

These types of trials and tribulations will either make or break an NFL player, so it will be interesting to see what comes from Igbinoghene’s tough day on Sunday.

“I’m making a lot of mistakes in football, and life as well,” Igbinoghene said. “Mistakes happen to everybody. I just have to keep working. I’ll fix it.”

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