The Redskins released Culliver one season into a four-year, $32 million deal. He’d spent his first three NFL seasons with the San Francisco 49ers. Culliver declined to give his opinion Wednesday of the Redskins’ decision to part with him.

“I’m not really worried about their moves … or what happened,” he said. “I just keep going and keep doing my thing. I don’t look back at anything about what they’ve done or anything like that. I’m a strong man. I’m gonna do what I’ve got to do regardless.”

Culliver was placed on the Dolphins’ physically unable to perform list and did not provide a specific timetable for when his surgically repaired knee ligaments will be healed sufficiently for him to be able to play. He said he expects to vie for a starting spot in the Miami secondary when healthy.

AD

AD

“That should be anybody’s mentality,” he said. “You want to come in. You want to compete. You want to play. But you have to get yourself ready first. As long as that process keeps going as well, you’ll see me out there soon. … It’s just a process. You’ve got to be patient. That’s the hardest part, being patient. You want to really get out there now. But … you don’t want to set yourself back. You want to keep progressing and keep climbing that hill.”

When a media member asked Culliver whether he might not be ready to play until a month or so into the regular season, Culliver said: “I wouldn’t say that. You say that. I’ll be out there soon. You’ll be surprised when I get out there and touch a couple people. Then you’ll know.”

The Dolphins have remade their secondary since releasing two cornerbacks, Brent Grimes and Brice McCain, and trading another, Jamar Taylor, in the offseason. Rookie cornerback Xavien Howard, a second-round draft pick, is on the PUP list after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery. The team has Byron Maxwell penciled in to start at one cornerback spot, but the position is highly unsettled otherwise.

AD

AD

“I like the fact that we were aggressive and went out and got him, adding depth to that position. … He wants to press. He wants to be able to play man-to-man coverage,” Dolphins Coach Adam Gase said of Culliver. “That’s what we’re looking for. That’s what we are. We’re an attacking style of defense and our corners have a lot of pressure on them to be able to cover. He’s a guy that can do that.”

Said Culliver: “There’s a lot more, a lot more that I want to do, a lot more that I want to accomplish. That’s my biggest thing I do. I compete. That’s what I’m gonna do. That’s what I’m gonna do here. I look forward to that.”