Cam Smith Gets Praised for "Attacking Offseason"
Cam Smith, the Miami Dolphins first 2023 draft pick, played less snaps on defense than an undrafted rookie cornerback last season.
And that's despite the Dolphins spending at least half of the 2023 season desert thirsty for cornerback help.
But that doesn't mean General Manager Chris Grier, or the team, have given up on the former South Carolina standout.
The Dolphins organization is aware Smith fell into former defensive coordinator Vic Fangio's doghouse and never discovered a way out, despite Miami's desperate need for cornerback help last season.
The hope is that a fresh start under new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver, and Miami's new secondary coaches, will allow the 51st pick in the 2023 NFL draft to thrive, potentially earning a more prominent role.
"I think we're very excited about camp," Grier said when asked about Smith, who played 20 snaps on defense last season because Fangio didn't like his work ethic, and preferred to play veteran cornerbacks ahead of the youngster, who spent most of his week getting Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle ready for game day as a scout team player.
"You watch this preseason stuff [and] he played very well, in the preseason. [He] got banged up at the end and came back," Grier said Wednesday, addressing the South Florida media at the NFL combine. "You know, at the end of the day, [he was] learning a big system early. [When] you look at the history of guys and the young players, it takes a little bit. And so he worked hard."
The "worked hard," endorsement from Grier contradicted what Miami's former coaches were saying about Smith, whom they claimed needed to learn how to become a professional.
But players privately endorsed the rookie when Smith was struggling, and blamed his limited use on Fangio having personality conflicts with Smith.
Ramsey gives Smith an endorsement
Grier said he was talking to Jalen Ramsey the other day, and the seven-time Pro Bowl cornerback claimed "he loves Cam's game, and thinks he's gonna be a good player," according to Grier.
Smith played 15 games in 2023, mostly on special teams, primarily serving as a gunner.
His stint in Fangio's doghouse actually led to the Dolphins playing rookie Ethan Bonner, an undrafted rookie from Stanford, ahead of Smith late in the season. Bonner played 22 snaps on defense, and 11 of them came in Miami's playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
It's possible that Bonner, who is well documented as one of the fastest players on the team, could come out of nowhere and rise up the depth chart like Kader Kohou, another undrafted player, did as a rookie.
Last season Kohou allowed eight touchdowns, and opposing quarterback completed 89.1 percent of passes thrown to receivers he was supposed to be defending, and had a 131.0 passer rating when throwing to offensive players Kohou was responsible for.
So there's clearly some areas this third-year veteran needs to do to clean up his game. But Grier seem to believe Smith is his biggest competition for the boundary spot created by Xavien Howard's impending release.
"He's attacking the offseason. So we're all very excited to see him with an opportunity to play, but he'll have to compete and earn it," Grier said. "[Kader's] not gonna give it up to him. So it'll be good. And then obviously, we'll be bringing in some other people here too, and, maybe X is back. Who knows?"
Secondary gutted by free agency
Whether Howard gets re-signed or not, the Dolphins secondary will likely feature an influx of newcomers because of how many free agents are on defense.
Nik Needham, Eli Apple, Justin Bethel and safeties Deshon Elliott, Brandon Jones, and Elijah Campbell are all expected to become unrestricted free agents when the free agent period begins in March.
Miami could re-sign any of those players, but it would likely be for salaries in the $2-3 million or less range.
Keion Crossen, a core special teams contributor who spent all of last season on injured reserve because of a knee injury he suffered in the final practice before the 53-man roster was compiled, is also on the roster. But considering his release would create $3 million in cap space, don't be surprised if his tenure with the Dolphins comes to a conclusion in the coming days, or weeks.
Crossen has had multiple surgeries to address the injury he suffered in August, and at this point it's unclear if he'll be healthy enough to pass a physical.
The Dolphins are in the midst of a cap crisis, required to trim another $37 million from the team's payroll before March 13 to be compliant with the NFL's rules, so it would be ideal for a starting cornerback to already be in-house.
Smith needs to realize he'll be given every opportunity to claim the job, and at this point there are no room for excuses.
