The news of Jaire Alexander hitting free agency hit the Miami Dolphins’ air waves like a siren song. It felt like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow; the answer to all their prayers.
In my previous article, I highlighted why Alexander to the Dolphins might not end up as all its cracked up to be. You can read that here. But in this one, we are throwing caution to the wind and letting our fan brains win.
This is why Jaire Alexander makes the Dolphins a playoff team again.
Out With The Old, In With The New
The Dolphins are set to roll out a fully renovated corner back room in 2025. Jalen Ramsey will (we hope) eventually be traded, and Kendall Fuller was released back on Valentines Day. So the new crew reads as such: Storm Duck, Cam Smith, and Kader Kohou.
While we don’t know how effective this crew could be together, adding a just 28-year-old two time All Pro to the mix couldn’t hurt.
“Broadly speaking, the decision isn’t complicated: bring in Alexander, let him handle half the field/the other team’s WR1, and figure the rest out,” wrote Cameron Ellis for the Phin Phanatic. “It’s not the worst idea you’ll see this year,,. And because the Packers released Alexander, he won’t come with the huge price tag that his contract would have otherwise required. So the Dolphins are free to try and justify signing an older, expensive corner once again!”
While the second part might bear a little sarcasm, it is true that Alexander’s price tag starts at zero. Ramsey’s contract is looking worse by the day, and Alexander’s only available because the Packers refused to give him more than $16 million a year. But with Florida’s tax situation, two years, $15 million all guaranteed might do some talking.
Just How Good Is Jaire
Jaire Alexander was a first round pick in 2018. In 2020, he posted one of the most dominant cornerback seasons ever and earned his first All Pro honor. Two years later, he followed up with another great season and another All Pro vote. The only place he’s come up short is in his availability.
“Alexander, an All-Pro in 2020 and 2022, played in just 34 of a possible 68 games since the start of the 2021 season — a year in which he appeared in only four regular-season games because of a shoulder injury,” wrote ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.
But when Alexander is on the field, he is the premiere talent in this league. Based on his Pro Football Focus grades, the NFL’s trademark analytic company, there is no one quite like him.
“The last time Alexander played more than 1,000 snaps in a single season (starting 15 of 16 games), he earned an elite 91.1 PFF coverage grade, allowed fewer than 400 receiving yards and broke up 14 passes,” wrote PFF. “While Alexander has never recorded a single-season PFF coverage grade below 73.0 in his career, the best ability is availability.”
His grades are flat out nonsensical. Since 2022, he is in the 99th percentile in coverage grade, the 98th percentile in coverage grade in single coverage, the 98th percentile in BOTH coverage grade on the outside and coverage grade on the inside, and the 98th percentile in coverage grade with no pressure.
Alexander is one man wrecking crew and if the Dolphins are able to find someone to take Ramsey’s contract, they would be wise to turn that money into a short term deal with a high end talent.
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