Jalen Ramsey back at practice after surgery. What’s next, what that means for Dolphins
Less than three months after undergoing meniscus surgery that upended the start of his Dolphins tenure, cornerback Jalen Ramsey returned to practice Wednesday.
Ramsey, Miami’s top offseason addition, had surgery to address a noncontact knee injury he sustained during the team’s second training camp practice in late July. However, he was seen backpedaling and cutting on his repaired knee as part of individual drills during Wednesday’s session.
Ramsey won’t play in the Dolphins’ road game against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday night, coach Mike McDaniel said. But after starting the season on injured reserve, he is nearing a return for the second half of the schedule. Ramsey was limited in his first practice back.
“Got to go against him a little [in practice],” quarterback Tua Tagovailoa said, “as he was on the other side while the offense was up. He did jump in on some reps. Just a great teammate, giving us some looks. For what he had, it’s pretty remarkable the competitor that he is that he’s put in the time, a lot of time, into trying to get back as soon as possible.”
Multiple reports last Sunday said Ramsey was ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation. Ramsey hinted at a possible return early Wednesday, writing “The Restart” on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Initial reports said Ramsey could be sidelined until December but McDaniel had said that Ramsey was pushing for an early comeback.
“He called his shot early, I think the day that he got injured, that he was going to beat whatever the target would be,” McDaniel said.
McDaniel did not place a timeline on Ramsey’s first game but said it’s “fair to say there is a chance” he could return before the team’s Week 10 bye. After the Dolphins’ game against the Eagles, Miami hosts the New England Patriots on Oct. 29 and then faces the Kansas City Chiefs in Germany on Nov. 5. After the Dolphins’ bye week, they will host the Las Vegas Raiders on Nov. 19.
Ramsey’s return to practice opens a 21-day window to active him to the 53-man roster. He will have to be placed on the active roster by Nov. 7 or be sidelined on IR for the remainder of the season.
While Ramsey won’t play in Sunday night’s highly-anticipated matchup with the Eagles, his imminent return should provide a boost to a cornerback group that has been inconsistent.
Eli Apple has been in and out of the lineup due to performance, and Xavien Howard is dealing with a groin injury that has put his availability for Sunday night’s game in question. McDaniel said Howard, who did not practice Wednesday, is “day to day.”
The Dolphins’ defense is tied for 18th in yards per play (5.2), 19th in passing yards per game (229.2) and 26th in points per game (26.0) Miami is also tied for last in the NFL with two interceptions.
“He’s one of the top players in the league, so getting him back out there, learning stuff from him is going to be good,” cornerback Kader Kohou said. “It’s crazy. He’s superhuman. He looks different, like he’s been practicing the whole year.”
The Dolphins in March traded a 2023 third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long to the Los Angeles Rams to bring Ramsey, 28, to South Florida. With his credentials as a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro selection, Ramsey was expected to be one of the leaders for a new-look defense under coordinator Vic Fangio.
Even while Ramsey has been sidelined, players and coaches said he has remained engaged with the team. Ramsey has traveled with the team for road games and been on the sideline for home games.
“He’s as confident as one can be before his first practice and all the stuff that he has done in terms of all the work of the strength staff and the training staff,” McDaniel said. “The exact way you’d expect Jalen Ramsey to be. He has a lot of God-given talents, but I think his greatest talent is how unique of a deliberate worker, teammate [he is]. I’ve never been around a guy that had this long of a rehab that hasn’t missed team meetings or hasn’t missed practices. He is finding a way to affect the team in one way, shape or form. So his confidence will be as high as one can be in this stage, I can tell you that much.”
Ramsey is one of multiple Dolphins who are gearing toward returning to a team that leads the AFC East and is second in the conference. Running back Jeff Wilson Jr., who was designed to return to practice last week, could be activated to the 53-man roster this weekend.
Cornerback Nik Needham, who started the season on the reserve/physically-unable-to-perform list, has been practicing the last two weeks and must be activated by next Tuesday. In addition, left tackle Terron Armstead and rookie running back De’Von Achane remain on IR but are eligible to return within the next month.
This story was originally published October 18, 2023 at 8:54 AM.
