Walt

Aikens

The 29-year-old spent all six of his previous seasons in Miami, appearing in 93 games and making four starts. Aikens is being brought aboard for his special teams play and deep-reserve status as a dime back.

It is the position he played in college, but he was transitioned to safety after being selected in the fourth round of the 2014 draft. Aikens reportedly played well at his new/old position during the offseason program, so he should stick there moving forward. Even so, Aikens’ biggest contributions will likely continue to come on special teams.

The 2014 fourth-rounder was suspended last Week 17 for an unspecified violation of team rules. He was primarily a special teamer as a rookie, but did contribute 64 snaps on defense. Aikens won’t open the year as a starter, but could emerge as the leader for snaps behind Reshad Jones and Louis Delmas.

A two-year starter at Liberty, Aikens is a raw FCS prospect with eventual starting potential. He ran 4.49 at his Pro Day with a 35-inch vertical and 9-foot-10 broad jump. A boundary corner with plus tackling skills, Aikens could push for rookie-year snaps behind Brent Grimes and Cortland Finnegan.

Aikens (6-foot 5/8, 203) earned first-team All-Big South accolades as a senior, finishing his three-year career with seven interceptions after transferring from Illinois. Aikens offers position flexibility, having started five games at safety as a true freshman for the Illini, and playing boundary corner at Liberty. He ran 4.49 at his Pro Day, adding a 35-inch vertical and 9-foot-10 broad jump. Although he is a bit stiff in the hips, Aikens offers eventual starting potential as a physical press corner with plus tackling and ball skills. The Dolphins have an interesting balance of old veterans and young prospects at cornerback.

Delmas managed 63 tackles in 13 games at this position last year; SS Reshad Jones is the IDP to target in Miami’s secondary. A converted cornerback who was drafted in the fourth round two Mays ago, Aikens stands 6-foot-1, 203 and has 4.49 speed. We don’t think he’ll be an enormous downgrade from Delmas.

Aikens opened the season as the starting free safety following Louis Delmas’ ACL tear, but he was quickly benched. Aikens continued to make plays on special teams despite the demotion, and he should be given a shot to win a bigger defensive role this summer. Even if Aikens is able to take a step forward, Miami needs serious help in the secondary.

The former fourth-round pick moved to corner last offseason, but he only ended up playing 13 snaps on defense. He played 383 quality snaps on special teams, however, and should continue to contribute there moving forward.

It sounds like he may have fractured the hand, although that’s just us connecting the dots. A fourth-round pick out of Liberty, Aikens was having a strong camp working as a swing defensive back, seeing action at both safety and corner.

Aikens was expected to be a core contributor in Sunday’s loss to the Jets. Instead, he didn’t play at all. Primarily a special teamer, Aikens did earn defensive snaps down the stretch of his rookie season. There are no indications that Aiken’s rules violation is a concern for his long-term outlook in Miami.