Rams Duo Visiting Dolphins Friday
MIAMI (CBSMiami) – There will be a St. Louis Rams reunion in Miami Friday when two former teammates visit the Miami Dolphins facility as unrestricted free agents.
The Dolphins are set to host former Rams guard Shelley Smith and former Rams cornerback Cortland Finnegan. Bringing in Finnegan would be a depth move as he is 30-years-old and coming off a terrible season (ranked 109 out of 110 cornerbacks by Pro Football Focus in 2013).
Finnegan is just two years removed from receiving a five-year, $50 million contract as a top free agent. It's also a sign the Dolphins are committed to the team's young cornerbacks, Jamar Taylor and Will Davis. Neither young corner made much of an impact on the field last year.
Smith is an ex-Houston Texans lineman who played under the current Dolphins offensive line coach when both were in Houston in 2010. Smith played in 14 games with St. Louis last season and could fill one of the starting guard positions Miami has available on the offensive line.
The Fins have reportedly offered Smith a contract, but he also has offers from other teams as well.
Finally, one player the Dolphins have inquired about and are trying to get interested in South Florida is right tackle Zach Strief. The former New Orleans tackle is said to prefer to return to the Saints, but the two sides haven't come close to a contract agreement.
The Dolphins want to bring Strief in for a visit and he is said to be warming up to talking with other teams. The Fins have the most money to offer and adding Strief and Albert as bookends with all of the draft picks still available would be a steal.
The Fins are expected to focus on the offensive line with at least one of the team's early picks. Signing Smith and Strief would allow the Fins to focus on a guard in the first round and then stock up other positions in later rounds.