So here's the thing. Byron Jones is a great cover corner, and he can shut down a WR. He just doesn't generate takeaways. But with X on the other side, QB's have no choice but to throw at one of them. The only other alternative is to throw everything across the middle. For that reason, I expect Bobby McCain to move back into the slot.
Here's where that leaves us. If we can stop the run, then QB's will either generate a lot of 3 and outs throwing at Jones, or take his chances with the less lock-down guy X. But the thing is, X is GREAT at at takeaways, AND a good cover corner too. Sure, you may make a few 1st downs and maybe get a PI call or two, but throwing at X is playing with fire, and more often than not, the QB will regret this and throw INT's. So they pick on McCain all day ..... but McCain can generate takeaways too, so what this means is that our defense is going to generate a LOT of takeaways. That means our offense will be in position to score a lot of points.
If we shore up this OL, and we're doing that with decent veterans (decent, not great), then we will translate those takeaways into points. In terms of watching this, it will feel like a basketball game where your team (the Dolphins) is great at producing turnovers, generates fast-break points off turnovers, and is always on the verge of blowing the game wide open. It's fun to watch! And, it's effective. The best teams win the turnover battle ... just ask Belichick.
I'm sure you're wondering, "Hey Digital, if this is so good, how come every team doesn't do this?" Good question. The answer is that finding a lock-down CB is a little like the quest for the Holy Grail ... many have tried but most fail their entire lives. The reason why teams do not have 2 lockdown CB's is because they cannot afford them. When the time comes that we cannot afford two, great, our team will be much improved. But right now we have money and not enough talent. The reason why teams do not have 1 lockdown CB is because they're incredibly hard to find, and they're very expensive. Typically teams move heaven and earth to pay their lockdown CB's. Sure, guys like Richard Sherman do sometimes become FA's, but most of the time they do not. To acquire 2, is unusual. The most recent example would be the Broncos who had 3 when Aquib Talib was there .... but they lacked a QB solution.
