Miami Dolphins News: Dimitri Patterson, Mike Pouncey
The Miami Dolphins have dealt with some unfortunate injuries so far in the offseason, and right guard John Jerry suffered a knee injury that will cause him to miss two to four weeks. In the meantime, the Dolphins are using the two other starters on the interior offensive line at right guard as experimentation, as Richie Incoginto has been move from the left side to the right side in camp with Mike Pouncey also getting some time at right guard.
Miami Dolphins cornerback Dimitri Patterson (24) at training camp at the Doctors Hospital Training Facility at Nova Southeastern University. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports
Jerry’s injury hurts the overall health of the offensive line, and it will be interesting to see if the Dolphins can get Jerry back before the start of the season. A source told Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald that the Dolphins are hoping to get Jerry back within four weeks and possibly two, so it sounds like Jerry should be able to avoid missing any regular season games. The Dolphins need him to be healthy in order to have stability on the offensive line, because this line can be a very solid one if Jonathan Martin can make the jump in his second year in his more natural position at left tackle. Signing Tyson Clabo was a wise move for the Dolphins as well.
Losing Jerry wouldn’t be a debilitating blow for the Dolphins, but it would raise questions at how to replace Jerry at right guard and lead to a lack of stability at one position. In my opinion, the best way to deal with losing Jerry is give Dallas Thomas the preseason playing time and reps at RG and keep the veterans in their spots. As for Mike Pouncey, he played a lot of guard for the Florida Gators in college, but he’s clearly a very good center in this league, and that’s where he needs to stay for the Dolphins. Moving him around is interesting for experimenting, but Pouncey and Incognito should stay at their respective spots.
What I find to be one of the most intriguing position battles in the AFC East is the Miami Dolphins No. 2 cornerback gig opposite of Brent Grimes. I’m pretty sure Grimes is going to continue to be a really good player post-injury, but the Dolphins need somebody to emerge on the other side. That’s not because Grimes is coming off of a severe injury, and it’s simply because you need to have two capable starting corners in this league.
While Richard Marshall is still my pick to win the gig, it’s interesting to see that Dimitri Patterson is the Dolphins No. 2 cornerback so far in training camp, according to the Miami Herald. Joe Philbin praised Patterson’s performances, and it seems like he is legitimately the guy to beat right now. Philbin also praised Marshall, but it sounds like promising Boise State rookie corner Jamar Taylor is on the outside looking in. He’s a guarantee to make the roster in my book based on his talent and draft slot, but he did get burned earlier in camp and is likely having some growing pains. But is Patterson really the best option? It seems like he’s the guy playing the best for the Dolphins in camp right now, but I think he ends up getting unseated by Marshall, provided the formerly successful Carolina Panthers starter can cut down on his mistakes (he’s burn prone).