A Tale of Two Cornerbacks

Former Miami Dolphins cornerback Eli Apple has found himself a new team

Miami Dolphins cornerback Eli Apple (33) celebrates after intercepting the football against the Buffalo Bills during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. / Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Former Miami Dolphins cornerback Eli Apple is back in the NFL, signing with the Los Angeles Chargers practice squad, while his more prominent former teammate continues to wait for his next opportunity.

Apple started four of the 10 games he played for the Dolphins last season but went unsigned as an unrestricted free agent this past offseason. While he drew criticism from some fans at times last season, Apple did a serviceable job for the Dolphins, one of the highlights coming when he picked off Josh Allen in the end zone in the first quarter of the Week 18 AFC East showdown against the Buffalo Bills at Hard Rock Stadium.

With the Chargers, Apple will be joining defensive lineman Teair Tart, who signed with that team after the Dolphins released him during training camp, just a few months after they signed him as a free agent. Tart had a fumble recovery in the Chargers' 23-16 victory against the Denver Broncos on Sunday.

HOWARD IN HOLDING PATTERN

Apple is going a very common route among NFL free agents these days, signing to the practice squad first with the idea/hope of being signed to the active roster at some point.

That scenario, however, does not appeal to Xavien Howard, who has been without a team since the Dolphins released him in the offseason, according to a league source.

While he sustained a fairly significant foot injury late last season, Howard is fully healed, continuing to work out and just waiting for the call.

The Dolphins had two other free agent cornerbacks this offseason, neither of whom has signed with another team. They were Justin Bethel and Keion Crossen, the former a 34-year-old toward the end of his career and the latter a player coming off a nasty injury he chronicled on social media necessitated multiple surgeries.