What Cam Smith Is Doing to Make Sure This Year Is Different

Cornerback Cam Smith hasn’t lived up to his draft status, but 2025 is a chance to shift the narrative.

A 2023 second-round pick, Smith has been active for 21 games but has yet to start for the Dolphins. Entering his third season, the former South Carolina standout could earn a starting job and bring much-needed stability to a secondary facing turnover at multiple positions.

“Yes, sir,” Smith said when asked if he feels ready to be a 17-game starter on Wednesday. “Going through these last two years and seeing all of the ups and downs that come with the season, and just having my foot in the door last year, gave me a lot more leeway to see all of that.

“Last year, I got hit with injuries and stuff like that… It’s [about] just staying on the field at this point.”

Smith began last season on injured reserve with a hamstring injury and didn’t debut until Week 8 against the Arizona Cardinals. He suffered a dislocated shoulder against the Green Bay Packers on Nov. 28, ending his season after just 133 defensive snaps.

Entering year three, Smith is being proactive when it comes to taking care of his body.

“The first two years, I feel like I didn’t have that as much,” Smith said of his routine. “Only when I would feel something that I would go do treatment, but now it’s like every day because I don’t need these things popping up later down the road.

“Just making sure I get in the training room and just do the little things.”

Availability remains a major focus, but Smith is also fine-tuning his instincts and decision-making entering his third year. Opposing quarterbacks completed 16 of 19 passes for 174 yards and a touchdown when targeting him in coverage last season.

“Just making sure that every play, if I get an inside release, it’s easy to look at the quarterback,” Smith said. “Just coming out of breaks and giving myself that one-two right out of the break, and then looking at the quarterback — it gave me a lot more opportunity to get my hands on balls and stuff like that.”

As a rookie, Smith played only 22 defensive snaps while spending the year at odds with then-defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Then, injuries derailed his chance to establish himself during Anthony Weaver’s first year as defensive coordinator.

Now, Smith has a path to winning a starting cornerback spot in training camp.

Smith’s Path to Playing Time

Cornerback emerged as a major need for Miami this offseason after releasing Kendall Fuller and deciding to part ways with Jalen Ramsey.

That said, the Dolphins didn’t draft a corner until selecting Jason Marshall Jr. in the fifth round. They added Artie Burns and Kendall Sheffield in free agency, but they’ve combined to start just one game since the start of 2022.

Kader Kohou is penciled in as one of Miami’s starting cornerbacks, and Smith may have the inside track to the other spot given his time in Weaver’s system and his status as a former second-round pick.

“That’s the opportunity of a lifetime,” Smith said of competing for a starting job. “I’m just going to make sure I take full opportunity and don’t take it for granted.”

Smith’s top competition for the starting job may be second-year corner Storm Duck. An undrafted free agent in 2024, Duck started three games as a rookie and finished with 35 tackles and four pass breakups across 359 snaps.

Ethan Bonner, another UDFA, has been with the team for two years, but played just 16 defensive snaps last season. Isaiah Johnson, Ryan Cooper Jr., along with rookies Ethan Robinson and B.J. Adams, will also be competing for roster spots at cornerback.

At 6-1 and 186 pounds, Smith has the frame to help address one of Miami’s biggest needs. But to earn a starting cornerback spot and validate the team’s investment, he’ll need to stay healthy and show he can be a reliable part of the revamped secondary.

“Just worry about what you can control,” Smith said of his approach to earning playing time. “It’s no point to waste your breath on it, or waste your time thinking about it.”

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