There is intense competitiveness among the cornerbacks in the Miami Dolphins locker room going into training camp. During training camp, nine defensively adept players—aside from Jalen Ramsey—may find themselves getting reps with the starting squad. Entering his second season with the Dolphins, 29-year-old Ramsey is without a doubt the group leader.
Eight players, including Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard, left Miami in this position. Anyone can join the 53-man roster at cornerback due to the loss of excellent talent and the shift in the defensive coordinator position. Prospective possibilities include ambitious rookies, returning veterans, and fresh faces from division rivals.
Dolphins Camp Preview: A Look at the Cornerbacks
Ramsey Arrives at Camp in Good Health With New Supervisor
The 2023 season got off to a slow start for Ramsey. The All-Pro cornerback was injured in the early stages of his Dolphins rookie training camp. In week eight, Ramsey made a comeback appearance for Miami against the New England Patriots and made an instant impression with an interception. The nine-year veteran has been the Dolphins secondary’s mitochondria ever since that midseason contest.
Since Ramsey is fully healthy, having him on the field during training camp will help Anthony Weaver, the new defensive coordinator. Weaver and Ramsey had already had direct conversation. The corner thinks he’ll be able to showcase his entire skill set, just like previous Miami defensive coach Vic Fangio did, under the new coordinator.
Ramsey declared, “I think it’s a good hire—I think he’s a great coach.” “It will be exciting to watch guys perform to the best of their abilities and showcase their entire skill set, in my opinion. The game is enjoyable because of this.
Needham Is Anticipated to Play a Bigger Defense Role
As he heads into training camp this year, cornerback Nik Needham is the Dolphins defensive player with the oldest contract. After signing with Miami as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2019, he has played in five seasons. With Howard out of the picture, he will be expected to step up, something he has done in the past when his old teammate was injured.
This last season was a disappointment for the 6-foot-1-inch cornerback under Fangio. An Achilles injury sustained in 2022 prevented Needham from participating fully in training camp. Like Ramsey, he was back on the field in week eight of the previous campaign. With 10 games played, Needham recorded a career-low four solo tackles by the end of the season.
With the No. 2 place up for grabs and a new beginning, the 27-year-old corner will be essential to the Dolphins’ secondary success. Throughout his career, Needham performed better versus receivers in the slot. He will have to practice covering the outside of camp more.
Kohou Is Set for a Significant Uplift in Year Three
Third-year cornerback Kader Kohou is among the many young, talented players on this defensive team. In his first two seasons, the 25-year-old has racked up 125 tackles, one interception, and 20 passes batted away when it was targeted.
It is anticipated that Kohou would keep moving ahead in the position group. The 2022 undrafted rookie free agent will be put in a different defensive scheme for the third time in his professional career with Weaver calling plays for him. Throughout the previous season, Fangio—Konhou’s second NFL coordinator—moved defensive backs around a lot, never assigning one player to a certain side of the field.
Konhou handed up eight touchdowns, but passers took advantage of this. In 2023, quarterbacks completed 81.9% of throws when targeted. The 5-foot-10-inch cornerback needs to use this training camp as an opportunity to become more comfortable in Weaver’s defensive backfield scheme.
Preferable Fuller for the Second-String Position
One of the best lockdown defensive backs in the league is Kendall Fuller, the most recent addition from the NFL’s free agency class. The 2020 Super Bowl winner enters the game as a seasoned veteran with effective consistency in man coverage in addition to experience.
With the Washington Commanders in 2023, Fuller recorded a career-high 79 total tackles and two interceptions of the ball. As to Next Gen Stats, he forced a tight window on 48% of his targets in man coverage during the previous season, which was the fourth-highest percentage in the NFL. This will help Miami’s defense, which tied for ninth-lowest in this area, as they prepare for training camp.
The 29-year-old defensive back, who signed a two-year contract with the Dolphins, will play alongside Ramsey for the duration of his time in Miami. Ramsey and Fuller had been acquainted since their high school days of competition. Because of their rapport and his ongoing effectiveness in coverage, he will be the favorite to replace Howard as the second-string player.
Together with Fuller, Needham and Kohou will compete in the race. As previously indicated, both cornerbacks are returnees. This might not be considered advantageous, though, under a new defensive system.
Neal may be the best player in camp on special teams.
Siran Neal, a cornerback, has only played on special teams throughout his six years in the NFL. The 29-year-old defensive back played 97 games for the Buffalo Bills, recording 85 tackles, 30 assists, and just one start. Nevertheless, he is the most seasoned player on special teams who joins the Dolphins without having played a day over thirty.
Throughout his career, Neal has participated in 1,714 special teams coverage snaps. That is more than three times as many defensive snaps as the cornerback has ever played. Neal might play a better defensive game in training camp than he has played in Buffalo, but his impact on special teams will be felt throughout the camp as other talented players compete for a spot on the squad.
Smith Might Show That He Deserves More Playtime
Under Fangio, Miami cornerback Cam Smith didn’t see a lot of playing time in the previous campaign. The 2023 NFL Draft third-round pick of the Dolphins had made 15 appearances overall, but only one solo tackle. Smith played just 2% of the season on defense and was mostly used as a special teams player (210 snaps overall).
In his final year of college, the former Gamecock from South Carolina gave up multiple receptions to receivers twice in 11 games. During the camp and preseason of the previous season, Smith demonstrated promise. He was a ball hawk in coverage and broke up passes, but he had trouble finishing tackles.
Smith can establish his value in the camp, as Weaver will be monitoring his progress beginning in year two. In order to contend for a third-string cornerback spot at the very least, he will need to improve his tackling skills and overall physical conditioning.
The Novices Need to Understand
Before training camp began, three rookie free agents who were not selected were added to the group. The three cornerbacks who are in the running for a spot on this team are Storm Duck, Isaiah Johnson, and Jason Maitre. They might not even make the 53-man roster, but if they do well enough in camp, they might end up on the practice squad.
Duck is a fascinating addition to this new group. Pro Football Focus listed the 23-year-old as one among Miami’s “UDFA’s to watch.” He is a guy that PFF said may remain on the team as a backup cornerback. Duck started five of the 13 games he played in at Louisville last season, finishing with the second-most pass breakups on the squad. He finished 2023 with 32 tackles and one sack for the Cardinals.
Syracuse’s Johnson establishes himself as a leader early on. In 2023, the 6-foot-3-inch cornerback, a redshirt senior, led the Orange as a captain. Among the best defenders on that team was Johnson. He forced a fumble, intercepted a pass, broke up six passes, and ended the season ranked seventh in tackles with 62. Throughout the season, Johnson gave up four throwing touchdowns when targeted. Throughout each game, the six-year collegiate veteran was targeted 51 times.
In 2023, Maitre started as the Wisconsin Badgers’ nickel cornerback. Nine of the twelve games were played at nickel by the former Badger. Maitre, a former Massachusetts high school recruit ranked in the top ten, has always performed on a grand scale. Against the top Big Ten players, he recorded 33 tackles, one interception, and three pass breakups. The training camp stage will be bigger for Maitre, even though it’s not Camp Randall Stadium.