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Hours after the Miami Dolphins signed veteran cornerback Jack Jones, they dove right back into the market to continue improving their defense. In its latest free agency addition, the team signed former Cincinnati Bengals defensive captain Mike Hilton.
The Dolphins and Hilton came to terms on Saturday morning, NFL insider Jordan Schultz reported. The agreement is reportedly a one-year deal, per ESPN's Adam Schefter.
Hilton is the second veteran cornerback signed by the Dolphins during training camp, joining Jones. As an eight-year veteran — four with the Pittsburgh Steelers and four with the Bengals — he is easily the most experienced member of Miami's secondary.
While solid with the Steelers, Hilton was a staple of Cincinnati's defense and is coming off the two best seasons of his career. The 31-year-old posted a career-high 84 tackles in 2023 and backed it up with 73 stops in 2024. Hilton received a 75.4 player grade on Pro Football Focus in 2024, making him the site's 25th-best cornerback.
As a primary nickelback, Hilton will compete with incumbent starter Kader Kohou for the starting role in 2025. Kohou struggled early in the year but got more comfortable as the season progressed.
Mike Hilton joins improving Dolphins' defense
Even after signing Jones and Hilton, the Dolphins' secondary is still a moderate concern entering the 2025 season. Before signing the veterans, the group was immensely inexperienced, with just two cornerbacks on the roster who had more than two years of experience in the NFL. Jones and Hilton certainly bolster that area, but they join the team late in the offseason.
The entire Dolphins' defense prepares for its second year under defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver. The secondary was its strength in 2024, allowing the ninth-lowest completion percentage, the second-fewest yards per pass, and the 10th-fewest passing yards per game. However, they traded star cornerback Jalen Ramsey and let Kendall Fuller walk in free agency.
Regardless of the back-end changes, the defense should improve overall. Miami gets star edge-rushers Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips back from injury, additions that will ideally improve the putrid 5.8 percent sack rate they notched in 2024. Both players are recovering from torn ACL injuries, with Chubb missing the entire year and Phillips playing just 12 games in the last two seasons.
