Jalen Ramsey carted off field as Dolphins face first injury scare of training camp
With about 10 minutes left in the Dolphins’ second training camp practice Thursday, Miami experienced its first injury scare of the summer.
Star cornerback Jalen Ramsey, the team’s top offseason acquisition, sustained an apparent injury to his left leg late in team drills. Ramsey limped to the sideline after colliding with wide receiver Tyreek Hill in coverage on the outdoor field to the far side of Miami’s practice facility. Ramsey was examined by the team’s trainers on the ground for multiple minutes before being helped to his feet. He watched the final few minutes of practice and then rode a cart back to the practice facility.
Early Thursday evening, Ramsey posted on Twitter that he would “be back on that field stronger than ever ... in due time!”
He added: “I know my brothers gone hold it down until I’m back tho!:
ESPN later reported that Ramsey will undergo knee surgery and miss the start of the regular season. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel did not speak Thursday but is scheduled to address the media Friday morning.
“Everybody’s worried about him. But we’re not really sure what’s wrong,” said safety Jevon Holland, who briefly spoke to Ramsey while he was checked out by trainers on the sideline. “So, just end of practice, finish strong. But yeah, he’ll be alright.”
The Dolphins traded a 2022 third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long to the Los Angeles Rams for Ramsey, a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro selection. The Dolphins also reworked Ramsey’s contract to facilitate the trade, agreeing to a new three-year deal with $35.5 million in fully guaranteed money.
The team brought the 28-year-old to Miami with the intention of him being the centerpiece of a revamped defense under new coordinator Vic Fangio.
“I’ve been a part of his [defensive scheme] for the past three years so I kind of know how to play it,” Ramsey said Tuesday. “I know what’s needed to play this defense and be one of the best defenses in the league and be elite. And we got all the pieces — edge rushers to the secondary. We even got the linebackers and all that. Like I said, I don’t compare, but I look at other teams I’ve been a part of and I feel like we, on paper, we stack up well. But the work comes first.”
Before his injury, Ramsey was showing flashes of the elite cornerback play the Dolphins hope to have in 2023. He was a consistent participant in team drills and broke up a deep pass from quarterback Tua Tagovailoa to wide receiver Jaylen Waddle along the sideline, almost coming away with an interception on the jump ball.
Ramsey’s injury is a major blow to a defense believed to have the talent of a top-10 unit. However, the Dolphins could be better prepared to withstand the loss than they were in 2022 when a series of injuries decimated the depth in the secondary.
Xavien Howard is healthy and has been a full participant in practice after an injury-plagued 2022 season. Players have raved about the potential of Kader Kohou, who started 13 games as a rookie and is projected to be the team’s top nickel corner. He intercepted the first pass of training camp Thursday, picking off a Tagovailoa pass that was intended for Hill over the middle of the field. Kohou has experience playing outside and in the slot.
“I feel like we’re way deeper [at cornerback] than last year,” Kohou said. “And I think [Ramsey] is going to be good.”
And the team used its top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft on Cam Smith, selecting the All-SEC standout with the No. 51 overall pick. Smith has recorded multiple pass breakups in team drills but was in coverage on a 60-plus-yard catch-and-run touchdown by wide receiver Braxton Berrios. Smith, who lined up at multiple spots in college, is expected to start his career as an outside corner.
“In this league and especially in the AFC, with a lot of talented quarterbacks and teams, we can never have enough corners as we experienced last year with the rash of injuries that we dealt with,” Dolphins general manager Chris Grier said in April after the Smith selection.
Cornerback Trill Williams also returned Wednesday for his first practice since tearing his ACL in last year’s preseason opener. He did not practice Thursday, a potential maintenance day, but could be a factor as a corner or safety once he is a full participant. Fellow corner Nik Needham remains on the active/physically unable to perform list but has been working on the side during practice. McDaniel on Wednesday did not put a timeline on his return but said he is expected to be back on the field after offensive linemen Terron Armstead and Isaiah Wynn, who are also on the PUP list.
This story has been updated.
This story was originally published July 27, 2023 at 2:11 PM.
