Cornerback Ethan Bonner suffers leg injury against Lions
One of the Miami Dolphins’ thinnest position from a depth standpoint possibly took another hit in Sunday’s second preseason game.
Cornerback Ethan Bonner, who started the game opposite Storm Duck, suffered what appears to be a right hamstring strain in the second quarter of Miami’s preseason game against the Detroit Lions on Saturday.. It’s possible that the injury might force Bonner to be sidelined for a week or more.
Bonner, who is entering his third season in the NFL, had been competing with Duck, Kendall Sheffield and Jack Jones to determine which cornerback would be starting on the boundary of Miami’s secondary. If the leg injury is serious the Dolphins will find themselves further depleted at an already thin position because of the team’s offseason decisions, and injuries suffered during training camp.
Miami traded Jalen Ramsey to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and released Kendall Fuller in February. That means Miami was searching for two replacement starters this offseason. Artie Burns, one of two veterans added in free agency this offseason, suffered a season-ending knee injury in Miami’s first training camp practice, and Kader Kohou, the team’s starting nickel cornerback the past three seasons, also suffered a season-ending knee injury in camp’s first week.
The Dolphins have been forced to add Jones, a former starter for the New England Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders, Mike Hilton, a veteran nickel cornerback, and Cornell Armstrong during training camp because of all the injuries. However, at this point the possible return of Cam Smith, a former second-round pick who has been sidelined recently by a soft tissue injury, and Jason Marshall Jr., a rookie who is working his way back from a soft tissue issue, could allow Miami to make it through next week’s final week of training camp.
The Dolphins typically keep at least five cornerbacks on the 53-man roster, and a pair on the practice squad. At this point the franchise’s decision makers might need to start exploring free agent options, and rummaging through the waiver wire to fortify this unit because depth, and the experience level of the cornerback unit, remains a major concern heading into the regular season.
This story was originally published August 16, 2025 at 2:22 PM.
