Miami Dolphins cornerback Kendall Sheffield wasn\u2019t supposed to get this far.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The cornerback was the only veteran brought in for a tryout during rookie minicamp in May. After a good workout, the Dolphins signed Sheffield, who hadn\u2019t started a game since the 2020 season and barely played last year.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Fast forward to the team\u2019s first joint practice of the preseason Friday, and Sheffield is sitting at the top of the Dolphins’ cornerback depth chart, leading the competition for one of the team\u2019s starting outside cornerback spots.\u00a0<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s a surprise from the outside, Sheffield never had any doubts.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI always dreamed of it,\u201d Sheffield told reporters in Chicago. \u201cI just need the opportunity and with the opportunity, I’ll just make the best of it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Just signing with the Dolphins was the opportunity Sheffield was looking for, but perhaps no other team in the league would\u2019ve allowed him to compete for a starting spot.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Miami\u2019s cornerback room is a wide-open battle after the team largely ignored the position in free agency and moved on from last year\u2019s starters. Plus, Kader Kohou and Artie Burns suffered season-ending knee injuries early in camp.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, even before Burns and Kohou went down, Sheffield was positioning himself well to be a potential starter. He flashed during OTAs in June, which put him ahead of players like Cam Smith, Isaiah Johnson, and Ethan Bonner.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sheffield might have a leg up on the competition for now, but it\u2019s still early in the preseason, and he\u2019s got some better competition. When Kohou and Burns went down, the Dolphins signed Jack Jones and Mike Hilton, two players with recent starting experience.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Hilton will likely start in the slot, but Jones is in direct competition with Sheffield for a starting spot opposite Storm Duck, who has also flashed during training camp thus far.\u00a0<\/p>\n
This group of players is unlikely to inspire confidence from national pundits, but unsurprisingly, Sheffield is bullish on the room\u2019s ability.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean, we are good players,\u201d Sheffield said. \u201cWe have extreme talent in our room. And it’s all with our cornerback coach [Mathieu Araujo]. He believes in us. He teaches good technique. And we’re gonna be the best we can be.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
On paper, this looks like an incredibly lopsided battle.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In 42 games (21 starts), Jones has seven interceptions and 27 pass breakups. He\u2019s also returned four of those seven interceptions for touchdowns, recording two pick-sixes last season and in 2022.<\/p>\n
Last year alone, Jones had three interceptions and 16 pass breakups in 16 starts with the Raiders. Compare that to Sheffield, who had zero ball production while only playing 92 defensive snaps for the Jets, and it\u2019s easy to see why this isn\u2019t much of a competition at first glance.\u00a0<\/p>\n