Dolphins to cut former team captain Bobby McCain

The Dolphins have informed safety Bobby McCain that he’ll be released today (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). By cutting the team captain, the Dolphins will nix the final two years of his four-year, $27M deal.

McCain was set to count for $7.14M against the 2021 cap. The Dolphins will be left with just $1.48M in dead money while saving $5.66M on the books. At least, that’ll be the breakdown if he’s formally released. NFL teams will occasionally leak word of an impending release in order to stir up trade talks. That could the case here, with the Dolphins aiming to get something in return for McCain before the end of the business day.

McCain, a 2015 fifth-rounder, has been a staple of the Dolphins defense over the last six years. All in all, he’s started in 55 of his 87 games, collecting seven interceptions and four sacks along the way.

Last year, McCain was first-string for 15 of his 16 games, notching one INT, 46 stops and five passes defensed. However, his performance left something to be desired — he ranked just 55th out of 94 qualified safeties, per Pro Football Focus. Ultimately, the Dolphins chose to go younger and cheaper. One way or another, they’ll shed McCain’s contract while working third-rounder Jevon Holland into the rotation.

Without McCain, the Dolphins project to use Eric Rowe, Brandon Jones and Holland as their top safeties.