Kelly: Ramsey's Injury Will Test Dolphins Cornerback Depth
The biggest concern I have had about the 2023 Miami Dolphins is whether the roster could survive a couple of injuries.
This Dolphins roster is quite top-heavy, filled with big names, and former Pro Bowl players who have accomplished plenty. But the lack of depth could become problematic if injuries begin to stack up.
The knee injury Jalen Ramsey suffered on the second day of training camp, which either could sideline him for the first month of the season, if not the entire year depending on what doctors find when the surgery gets done in the coming days, will be Miami's first test of how well the roster is built.
Fortunately for the Dolphins, cornerback happens to be the one position where the roster has a healthy amount of talent, and those players have plenty to prove.
Outside of a healthy Xavien Howard, who leads the NFL with 28 interceptions since joining the league as a 2016 second-round pick, the Dolphins have a handful of cornerbacks who are viable options to replace Ramsey.
Can Cam Smith rebound from bad day?
That list starts with rookie cornerback Cam Smith, the South Carolina standout the Dolphins drafted in the second round of the 2023 NFL draft.
Smith has served as Ramsey's understudy since the spring, and was the player Ramsey called onto the field immediately after suffering the injury.
Smith has been solid every practice the media has attended up until Thursday when he committed a pass interference penalty and allowed a 68-yard touchdown to Braxton Berrios.
But every cornerback has a bad day. The true test is how the rookie will respond to that day because good cornerbacks have short memories and are extremely competitive.
Before the hiccups Thursday, Smith had been delivering tight coverage, and at least one pass breakup a day.
Is Trill Williams still moving to safety?
Another option to replace Ramsey is Trill Williams, a third-year player who is coming back from a season-ending ACL injury he suffered in the 2022 preseason opener.
There had been talk about Williams moving to safety this camp, but he spent the first training practice working at cornerback. He skipped the session Thursday, possibly as part of a one-day-on/off-the-next schedule to help his return.
Williams was one of Miami's top practice performers last camp before suffering the injury. It's possible he could pick up where he left off this camp.
Last chance for former first-round pick
Ramsey's injury also could provide Noah Igbinoghene, the Dolphins' disappointing 2020 first-round pick, yet another opportunity to carve out a role for himself as a starter. Igbinohene has started five of the 32 game he's played since 2020, but he's struggled with ball awareness in most of those opportunities.
This year, which features $1.6 of his $2.1 million salary being guaranteed, is likely his last opportunity to prove he's an NFL talent. Ramsey's absence from practice the next few weeks will give him a chance to work his way up the depth chart.
Would moving Kohou outside be wise?
The Dolphins also could move Kader Kohou, who looked slated to handle the slot cornerback role, to the boundary. Kohou had a strong showing last season as an undrafted rookie elevated into a starting role, starting 13 games and contributing 72 tackles, one interception and forced one fumble.
Moving him outside would open the door for Nik Needham or Keion Crossen to step up as his replacement as Miami's inside cornerback.
Needham, who has started 27 games since joining the Dolphins as a rookie free agent in 2019, happens to be on the PUP list because of the Achilles injury he suffered last October. He's got plenty of experience as the inside cornerback; the only question is when he'll be ready to start practicing.
Crossen, a fifth-year veteran who has started six of the 75 NFL games he's played; Bryce Thompson, a second-year cornerback the Dolphins signed after he was a standout player in the XFL this past season; and Ethan Bonner, an undrafted rookie from Stanford, also could use Ramsey's absence to carve out a bigger role for themselves in Miami's defense, much like Kohou did last season, when injuries decimated the Dolphins secondary.
As important as an All-Pro talent like Ramsey is, my experience covering the NFL has taught me that teams are only as good as their weakest link. Fortunately for the Dolphins, cornerback happens to be a position where Miami has some solid links available.
