Cortland Finnegan (31) reacts to a penalty flag being thrown during a game against the Indianapolis Colts at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
Cortland Finnegan was an obvious cap casualty for the St. Louis Rams this offseason due to his bloated price tag and his incredibly awful 2013 season, but he would be a solid signing for a team in need of a CB due to his lower price tag following his release from the Rams.
Finnegan is visiting the Miami Dolphins today, and it looks like his visit has yielded a contract after a stay in South Beach. And not only have the Dolphins offered Finnegan a contract, but the NFL Network’s Albert Breer reports that they are “finalizing” a two-year deal for him and look ready to add a potential impact player in the slot after losing Nolan Carroll to the Philadelphia Eagles.
Even though Finnegan was awful last season, he won’t make anywhere near $10 million with the Dolphins and will almost certainly sign a low-risk contract over those two seasons. He should have a nice bounce-back season in 2014, and he gives the Dolphins a quality upgrade. Brent Grimes is locked in as the star No. 1 corner, and the 30-year-old Finnegan has the physicality and stinginess to be a nice No. 2. As long as this deal is cheap, it’s a solid one for the Dolphins. But if the organization overpaid for him, then they will have some serious questions to answer if he doesn’t bounce back significantly.
Although there’s some upside in this deal if Finnegan does get back on track, I can’t help but feel that there’s more of a chance that he will cause the Dolphins to regret signing him. But if the contract is constructed correctly, then there really shouldn’t be any real risk to this contract; as usual, we’ll have to wait until the financial terms to evaluate this move.