The Miami Dolphins have reportedly added a pair of cornerbacks in the form of former young Raiders DB Jack Jones and veteran Mike Hilton, most recently with the Bengals. The addition of Hilton – one of the top remaining corners on the free agent market – hints at who Miami may be lining up where this year.

Hilton, 31, is a solid slot/nickel cornerback who played well in Cincinnati in ‘24. He played in 16 games with 10 starts, finishing with 73 total tackles — his second-highest career total — along with one interception and five pass breakups. He allowed just 356 receiving yards in coverage, his lowest mark since 2020. He also added 12 tackles for loss and eight quarterback pressures, so it’s clear he will be playing in the middle of the field.

A GLUT OF INSIDE CORNERS

With no returning starters on the outside and a ton of new faces in Miami, it’s a challenge to determine who will line up where once Week 1 hits. The addition of Hilton, however, does seem to make it a little clearer who goes where.

In Hilton, BJ Adams, Isaiah Johnson, Kader Kohou, Ethan Robinson and Kendall Sheffield, Miami has six contenders at cornerback who either have mostly played inside or have the skills of nickel/slot defensive backs. Some in this group have zero chance of playing outside.

Cornell Armstrong last played in the NFL in 2022. And for all the hope of fans, Ethan Bonner has only appeared in seven games in his two years in Miami, and its not like the team didn’t have extreme needs at the position at times.

Fellow new-addition Jack Jones is an outside corner, but his checkered history and the fact that despite being talented, the Raiders wanted to move on from him leaves him in ‘prove-it’ mode at best.

But Hilton WILL play and could play a lot. To make this signing likely means Miami has some comfort level on who it expects to play outside.

THE DOLPHINS OUTSIDE CORNERS WILL BE…

 It seemed less certain before today — and we were not at camp to view who is lining up where in advance of the newcomers arriving – but the Hilton move seems like Miami will be looking to start Kader Kohou at one outside spot. This is all assuming Kohou will be okay after leaving today’s practice with an injury that had him limping off the field.

But the idea of moving Kohou outside is based on his relative experience, talent, and the fact that he has mostly progressed each year as a pro, so there is no reason to expect any less in 2025.

If the assumption regarding Kohou on one side is true, then the most likely candidates on the opposite side would be Storm Duck, rookie Jason Marshall Jr. and Cam Smith.

Of those three, Duck is the most steady, but Marshall offers size and physicality at the position that could help him in press. His understanding of the defense and shaking some of his collegiate habits (like getting caught looking into the backfield) can be fixed.

Smith is the wild card because though his college tape was very good and showed an instinctive, relatively physical player, he seems to have been free-lancing his professional career and those are the type of players who are hard to bet on, no matter their talent.

A SOLID CAREER

Since entering the league as a UDFA out of Ole Miss in 2016, Hilton has played for the Patriots, Steelers and Bengals. Over eight seasons, he has appeared in 123 regular-season games, starting 56, and has recorded 520 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 13 interceptions, 56 passes defensed, six fumble recoveries and one defensive touchdown.

Hilton became an unrestricted free agent following the expiration of his four-year, $24 million contract with Cincinnati. The Bengals, like Miami, are a team that had decisions to make after long-term deals for their top players (Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins), opting not to sign Hilton. The team turned its attention to younger, cost-controlled talent in the secondary — including Dax Hill, Cam Taylor-Britt and rookie Josh Newton – much like the Dolphins as well.