Report: Miami Dolphins signing old adversary of Tyreek Hill to beef up cornerback depth

In the wake of Jalen Ramsey undergoing surgery, the Miami Dolphins have reportedly agreed to a one-year deal with veteran cornerback Eli Apple.

Apple spent the past two seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals, starting a total of 30 games and playing in 31 contests. During his time with the Bengals, he recorded 98 combined tackles, 18 passes defended, two interceptions and one fumble recovery.

He’s also spent time with the New York Giants, New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers. He’s registered a total of 78 regular season starts and 10 playoff starts. Despite being only 27 years old, he brings tons of experience to a pretty youthful group.

Apple could easily carve out a significant role on the Dolphins with Ramsey expected to miss many months after undergoing a full meniscus repair. Rookie defensive back Cam Smith and second-year pro Kader Kohou should see tons of playing time in Ramsey’s absence.

Perhaps the most interesting part about Apple signing with the Dolphins is his testy history with star wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Things got started back when Hill was still a member of the Kansas City Chiefs during the 2021 season. After the Bengals won that season’s AFC Championship Game over the Chiefs, Apple offered a spicy message on Twitter.

Hill then seemed to enjoy Apple and the Bengals lose to the Los Angeles Rams in the 2022 Super Bowl.

Before the Dolphins played the Bengals early on in the 2022 season, Hill offered a sharp message to Apple. Hill wound up catching 10 passes for 160 yards in that Week 4 contest between the Dolphins and Bengals.

It appears as though Hill is looking forward to the team’s next practice. The two will surely be ready to go at one another and make each other better.

Only time will tell what type of role Apple plays for the Dolphins as they look to make it back to the playoffs. The team’s first preseason game is on Aug. 11 against the Atlanta Falcons, so Apple has some time to get used to Vic Fangio’s scheme before suiting up for a real game.