Igbinoghene Confident His Time Is "Gonna Come"

Miami Dolphins CB Noah Igbinoghene is hoping to apply what he's learned from teammates Xavien Howard and Byron Jones, as well as coaches Sam Madison and Patrick Surtain

Noah Igbinoghene is out to help rewrite the negative narrative on his young NFL career, and he's hoping the experience he gained in his first two seasons with the Miami Dolphins and the improvements he made this offseason will help him do just that.

“I will say just my overall knowledge of the game,” Igbinoghene said Thursday when asked how he’s improved. “Just being in the building every single day. Of course, my experience, and my knowledge of the game have just increased. The coaches have helped me with the little details of my craft, and it's just gonna continue to get better the more I come.”

Igbinoghene is entering his third season at just 22 years old, and despite his past struggles on the field, he has an opportunity to play an important role this season with starting cornerback Byron Jones missing at least the first four games of the season on the Reserve/PUP list.

Additionally, Nik Needham has been listed as limited during practice this week because of a quad injury.

IGBINOGHENE A YOUNG NFL VETERAN

Igbinoghene, the last of the Dolphins' three first-round picks in the 2022 NFL draft, views all the experience he’s gotten at a young age as a resounding positive.

“I'm glad that I came out (of college), and I went where I went,” Igbinoghene said. “And of course being super young, I just feel like that's an advantage for me just to have this experience. This is my third year, and I'm only 22. Like, that's crazy. Some guys came in this year and are older than me. So, they're just looking at that. And that's such an advantage on my part. I get to just learn more and more. And when my time comes, man, it's gonna come, I'll just be ahead.”

Igbinoghene’s confidence and perspective undoubtedly will help him, but he’ll have to make a marked improvement in his play this season to keep any reps he takes while Jones is out.

In two seasons, he’s played in 23 games and started in just three of them. He’s recorded 19 total tackles, two passes defended (both came in 2020) and has yet to record his first interception.

Last year, he was inactive for six games, he missed two games on the Reserve/COVID-19 list and he dressed but did not see action in two games.

Igbinoghene didn’t get off to a good start this year during the preseason either. He allowed all four of his targets to be caught against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Las Vegas Raiders, giving up 61 total yards, according to PFF.

However, to his credit, Igbinoghene responded with a much better performance in the team’s final preseason game against the Philadelphia Eagles. He recorded a pass breakup and allowed zero catches in 17 coverage snaps.

The ability to adapt and improve from adversity is something Dolphins defensive coordinator Josh Boyer has seen Igbinoghene get better at this offseason.

“We've kind of seen a little bit of progress, I would say from a maturity standpoint, in the fact that he's been able to handle things a little bit better, things that don't quite go his way, he's able to put them behind them a little bit faster,” Boyer said. “He's also improved on his techniques, he's working very hard at it. And again, he's 22 years old. He's had some experiences, he kind of had some baptism by fire early. And, I think all those experiences, he's shown the humility to understand that every experience can be a good experience, as long as you learn from it. And we're seeing progress, and we're excited for when he gets his opportunity out there to show what he can do.”

IGBINOGHENE LEARNING FROM PROVEN (CURRENT AND FORMER) CORNERBACKS

One advantage Igbinoghene has this season is a staff that understands the cornerback position because the coaches played it.

Dolphins cornerbacks coach and pass game specialist Sam Madison and defensive assistant Patrick Surtain still rank as the best cornerback tandem in team history, and their experience with the Dolphins is helping Igbinoghene get better.

Igbinoghene described their style as more hands-on compared to former Dolphins secondary coach Charles Burks.

“(Madison) has helped a lot,” Igbinoghene said. “He was a great corner here. He and Patrick Surtain have both been in my head just about the little details. Not saying Chuck wasn’t doing that last year, but these guys played the position, so they just have a different mentality in how they go about things and how they coach. It’s more of a hands-on type thing.”

While Igbinoghene has learned a lot from Madison and Surtain, he’s also learning from current Dolphins cornerbacks in Xavien Howard and Jones.

“X and Byron didn’t necessarily have to say anything to me, I just watch,” Igbinoghene said. “I remember one time I told X I just watch everything he does, and they don’t have to say anything to me, him and Byron, I just watch every single thing they do, especially being young….I’m learning how to go about my business, and I’m growing every single year just by watching them.”

Luckily for Igbinoghene, his chance to implement the hands-on coaching he received from Madison and Surtain and what he’s learned by watching Howard and Jones appears to be coming sooner rather than later.

The question remains, though. Will he finally live up to his first-round draft slot?