Dolphins injuries could explain keeping 11 defensive backs

Hey, would you look at that.  It's possible that the Miami Dolphins know more about the Miami Dolphins than we as fans or the media who covers the team know about the Miami Dolphins.  Case in point: on Saturday, the Dolphins released 22 players to drop down to the league mandated 53-man roster limit.  When the dust settled from the cuts, there were 11 defensive backs, six cornerbacks and five safeties, still on the roster, while players like A.J. Francis and Marvin McNutt, players fans thought for sure were making the team, were released.  Everyone from Dolphins beat writers to fans to yours truly questioned the intelligence of keeping 11 defensive backs.

Some people pointed to safety Don Jones and said that keeping him was simply arrogance on the part of Jeff Ireland to not cut a draft pick he made.  Some people looked at R.J. Stanford and declared him a bum of a cornerback and not worthy of making the roster.  All over the place, people scrutinized the Miami roster and came away deciding that the team keeping 11 defensive backs made no sense.

Well, that is, unless you are the team keeping eleven defensive backs.  You see, the Dolphins actually do know the Dolphins better than we do.

At practice today, rookie cornerbacks Will Davis and Jamar Taylor both did not work out.  Davis was seen in a walking boot, standing on the sidelines, while Taylor was held out with an unknown injury, though the South Florida Sun Sentinel's Omar Kelly speculated that it might be a groin injury, rather than the sports hernia issues that have hampered him all training camp and preseason.

So, if you rule out Davis and Taylor, the Dolphins have four cornerbacks and five safeties for Week 1.  Considering the use of multiple wide receivers around the NFL, it's probably safe to assume that Jimmy Wilson will end up playing cornerback if Taylor and Davis are not ready, making the team really have five cornerbacks and four safeties on the 53-man roster.

That sounds like a typical NFL roster.

Of course, nothing has said that Taylor or Davis are out for the game, though Davis' walking boot sure isn't a good sign.  Maybe the team is just being cautious this early in the week, rather than risking a long term injury to one of, or both, of the rookies.  But, 11 defensive backs, with two injured, does make a lot of sense.  And, as Taylor and Davis get healthy, the team can release players, freeing up roster spots for someone like McNutt, should the team want to bring him up to the main roster.

Funny enough, it does seem like the Dolphins know more about the Dolphins than we do.

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