On Wednesday, the Miami Dolphins signed cornerback.safety Richard Marshall to a three year contract. A second round pick in 2006 by the Carolina Panthers, Marshall spent five years with the Panthers before moving to the Arizona Cardinals last year. He has 494 career tackles, along with 7 sacks, 16 interceptions, and 3 forced fumbles.
Marshall has played cornerback for the majority of his career, but spent time last year at free safety with the Cardinals. His role with the Dolphins has not yet been defined.
But, to get a better idea of who Marshall is and what he brings to the team, I recently spoke with Tyler Nickel, one of the lead editors for Revenge of the Birds, SB Nation's Arizona Cardinals blog.
"With Richard Marshall, the Dolphins are getting a very versatile defensive back that will do anything asked of him by the coaches. While in Arizona, he played on the outside, in the slot and even at safety at times while Kerry Rhodes was out. In all, he was on the field for over 75% of the defensive snaps. Many of the Cardinals players considered him to be the 'glue' of the defense. Cardinals defensive coordinator Ray Horton even went as far as calling Marshall the 'defensive MVP' for the team last season.
"He's a solid tackler and he naturally has a nose for the ball. Marshall did accrue 6 penalties last season (tied for 20th most in the league among DBs), but I don't see them as being something to be overly worried about. At 3 years and $16 million, I think the 'Fins definitely got a bargain. I am actually surprised the Cardinals didn't choose to at least match that offer."
I agree with Nickel. Marshall adds some much needed versatility to the secondary, and the fact that he seems to be able to find the ball, and make a play, could be a good thing for the Dolphins. Miami has to find a way to increase the turnovers they create, especially through interceptions. Adding a quality third cornerback behind Vontae Davis and Sean Smith could assist with that.
I would like to thank Tyler for sharing his thoughts about Marshall with us.