NFL free agency rumors: Captain Munnerlyn draws interest from Dolphins

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

The market for cornerback Captain Munnerlyn appears to be opening up as the beginning of the new league year draws near on Tuesday.

Captain Munnerlyn is one of the more under-the-radar cornerback prospects hitting the open market this year, but a few hours away from the opening of free agency, the market for him seems to be opening up. Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer suggests that the Miami Dolphins are one team interested in pursuing Munnerlyn once free agency gets underway.

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Person noted that Munnerlyn remains one of the biggest priorities for his current team, the Carolina Panthers. They've been working on getting him a new contract for some time now, but the two sides haven't been able to come to a deal, with the new league year fast approaching.

Miami is likely to let Sean Smith walk in free agency this offseason, plus it has a good deal of cap space to work with. A player like Munnerlyn could be one of those relatively low-key signings that end up paying off big time. Munnerlyn played in all 16 games for the Panthers in 2012, and had a career-high 61 tackles with two interceptions. Both of his picks were returned for touchdowns.

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The Dolphins and Panthers aren't the only teams interested in Munnerlyn's services, though. It was previously reported that the Cleveland Browns and their plethora of cap space had an interest in Munnerlyn as well. They would seem to have a leg-up if Munnerlyn doesn't remain with Carolina, given head coach Rob Chudzinski's history with Munnerlyn. He was the offensive coordinator in Carolina over the past two seasons.

Munnerlyn would appear to be in line for a starting role as one of the top two cornerbacks with any of the three teams mentioned, so he certainly seems to have desirable options.