Cornerback position full of questions heading into Monday night

Written by Matthew Cannata | Twitter: @PhinManiacs
It hasn't been a very good year for the Miami Dolphins secondary in regards to injuries. So far, Michael Thomas and Will Davis have suffered season-ending injuries. Jamar Taylor is expected to miss the next three weeks and Cortland Finnegan has been sidelined for two weeks so far.

Heading into Monday night against the New York Jets, the Dolphins have plenty of questions in the secondary but have cleared a few up with roster moves earlier this week, signing R.J. Stanford and releasing Jalil Brown.

“He’s a pro. He’s got familiarity obviously with what we are doing," Philbin said of Stanford. "He was a good special teams player when he was here. There were other times where he contributed in games as a corner. He’s a guy we are familiar with. We like his approach to the game. He’s a good fit in the locker room. We’ll see how quickly we can get him up to speed. It’s been a while since he’s been here.”

While us on the outside might be concerned about the cornerback depth, Philbin said he wasn't too concerned because they'll have a week of practice and preparation to get the guys ready to go. In addition, Finnegan has been practicing this week and could play on Monday night. 

If he can't, Walt Aikens will again have a bigger role. Aikens is normally a safety here in Miami but has been thrust into this position because of injuries. Philbin said that he needs to be ready to go. 

“When you are a backup player and you aren’t a starter, sometimes there are multiple things you have to be able to insert yourself into the game. Certainly, for a young player, that makes it even more challenging because he doesn’t have a ton of experience. A lot of those guys have to be able to fill in at dual positions.”

We'll see what happens on Monday night but if Finnegan can return to the lineup, it will provide a big boost to a depleted secondary.

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