NFL free agency 2023: Dolphins re-sign Nik Needham to shore up cornerbacks

With the start of the 2023 NFL free agency period, front offices do not have a lot of downtime to sleep. The Miami Dolphins demonstrated that Wednesday when a report at 10:55 p.m. ET report from NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo indicated the team was re-signing cornerback Nik Needham to a one-year contract. The deal is reportedly worth less than $2 million.

Needham joined the Dolphins in 2019 as an undrafted free agent out of UTEP. He began NFL career on Miami’s practice squad, but was pulled up to the active roster a month into his rookie season. He played 12 games as a rookie, starting 11 of them, and has continued to be a major contributor at cornerback for the Dolphins, working as both a boundary and the nickel/slot cornerback. He missed most of the 2022 season after tearing his Achilles tendon during the Dolphins’ Week 6 game against the Minnesota Vikings.

He has appeared in 51 career games with 27 starts, tallying 192 tackles with three sacks, 25 passes defensed, six interceptions with one touchdown, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

Needham will likely slide behind incumbent All-Pro cornerback Xavien Howard and All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, for whom the team traded on Wednesday. Needham will have competition from Kader Kohou, an undrafted free agent out of Texas A&M - Commerce last year who played in 15 games with 13 starts last year as injuries decimated Miami’s secondary.