The Miami Dolphins signed free agent cornerbacks Jack Jones and Mike Hilton on Saturday, making the moves in the wake of Artie Burns tearing an ACL.
The Dolphins announced Jones’ signing, while Hilton’s agents Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey told ESPN’s Adam Schefter that their client was joining Miami on a one-year deal.
Jones started 16 games last season for the Las Vegas Raiders. The Raiders released Jones on April 7 after attempts to trade him were unsuccessful.
Hilton entered free agency after his four-year deal with the Cincinnati Bengals worth $24 million, including $6 million guaranteed, expired following the 2024 season.
The Dolphins had a need at cornerback after Burns tore an ACL on the first day of training camp, a source told Schefter. They placed Burns on season-ending injured reserve Thursday but did not disclose the nature of his injury.
Another Dolphins cornerback, undrafted free agent BJ Adams, was carted off the field after suffering an injury during team drills Saturday.
Miami is looking to replace both starting cornerbacks from a season ago, after releasing Kendall Fuller and trading Jalen Ramsey earlier this offseason. Jones will compete with the likes of Cam Smith, Ethan Bonner, Storm Duck and Kendall Sheffield for one of the two open jobs.
Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel had said earlier this week that while the team was confident in its current group of cornerbacks, it will always look to improve. Miami also signed veteran cornerback Cornell Armstrong this week and waived cornerback Ryan Cooper Jr. in a corresponding move to Jones’ signing.
Jones played in 24 games with the Raiders after the franchise claimed him off waivers in 2023, following his release from the New England Patriots, where he played just one full season.
In 2024, Jones totaled career highs in tackles (69), passes defended (16) and interceptions (3). However, Jones gave up 698 yards, nine touchdowns and a passer rating of 108.9 on 88 targets as the nearest defender.
Jones, 27, was a fourth-round pick by the Patriots in the 2022 draft. He has 7 interceptions, 27 passes defended and 136 tackles in 42 games (21 starts) over three NFL seasons.
The former Arizona State product was benched by New England after missing curfew the night before a game against Washington in 2023 and was released the following week. The Raiders claimed him off waivers the following day.
Hilton had spent his entire career in the AFC North, playing four seasons each with the Pittsburgh Steelers and Bengals.
The 31-year-old Hilton started in 10 of his 16 appearances last season. He had one interception and five pass deflections.
The former undrafted player out of Ole Miss was one of Cincinnati’s key defensive leaders. During a tough stretch in the 2024 season, Hilton addressed an underperforming defense, and the Bengals closed the year with five straight wins to finish with an 9-8 record. However, that wasn’t enough to keep Cincinnati from missing the playoffs for the second straight year.
Hilton saw his snap count diminish last season, especially on third downs. He played on 66.3% of the team’s defensive snaps, according to Next Gen Stats, his lowest total since joining the team in 2021.
He has 13 interceptions, 56 passes defended and 520 tackles in his career.
ESPN’s Marcel Louis-Jacques, Ryan McFadden and Ben Baby contributed to this report.
