Where things stand for Dolphins at cornerback, including Ramsey, Jaire Alexander updates
Despite a glaring need at cornerback, the Dolphins were not among the half dozen teams that reached out to former Pro Bowl cornerback Jaire Alexander after he was released by the Green Bay Packers on Monday, according to a league source.
Alexander was an All-Pro in 2020 and 2022 but played in just 34 of a possible 68 games since the start of the 2021 season, and just 14 of 34 the past two seasons.
Miami — which intends to trade Jalen Ramsey — also did not pursue Alexander when the Packers tried to trade him in recent months. The Dolphins did not propose a Ramsey for Alexander trade, a source said.
Alexander, who has 15 interceptions in seven seasons, appeared in just seven regular-season games each of the past two seasons and did not play after Nov. 17 last year — despite practicing on a semi-regular basis. He had knee surgery on what he said was a torn PCL.
Alexander was limited to seven games in 2024 because of shoulder and knee injuries, plus a one-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team.
Asked if the Dolphins will consider Alexander, Mike McDaniel said Tuesday that the team will consider everything.
The Dolphins have maintained contact with Bills free agent cornerback Rasul Douglas, who rejected a Miami offer in May. He remains a possibility.
They have also inquired about former Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas standout and ex-Chargers free agent cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., a free agent who’s recovering from neck surgery. He expects to be able to play this season.
Other established cornerbacks still unsigned include James Bradberry, Stephon Gilmore, Mike Hilton and C.J Henderson. The Dolphins have been linked to Hilton, the former Bengals slot corner, at different times this offseason, and he cannot be ruled out.
Aside from nickel cornerback Kader Kohou, the Dolphins don’t have a proven starting cornerback on their team (excluding the likely-to-be-gone Ramsey).
Their other corners under contract: former second-round pick Cam Smith (a disappointment so far), Storm Duck (who made the team as an undrafted rookie last season), Kendall Sheffield (who signed last month after a tryout but hasn’t started a game since 2020), rookie fifth-rounder Jason Marshall Jr., undrafted rookies BJ Adams (from UCF) and Ethan Robinson (Minnesota), Ryan Cooper Jr. (a former Ohio State standout), Artie Burns (a former Miami Hurricanes standout who played 51 defensive snaps for Seattle last year), second-year player Isaiah Johnson and Ethan Bonner, who played just 16 defensive snaps last season and 27 over two years.
As for Ramsey, he did not attend the team’s mandatory minicamp, which began Tuesday, and McDaniel said the absence was excused.
The Dolphins, to this point, have been unable to find a team willing to give them not the only trade compensation they want, but also pay most or all of Ramsey’s $25.1 million salary this season.
Asked Tuesday if he’s surprised it has taken this long to find a trade partner, McDaniel said: “I don’t give [an expletive] about what I feel. I don’t even really go down that road about how do I feel about it. My job is to react and control my controllables, and make sure that people are moving in one direction appropriately.
“Business is business. The opportunity that business does provide in the offseason is a rep to the team about handling noise. What do I define noise as? Noise is things that don’t have to do with what actually you’re there to do and you should be focused on doing because you’ll be held accountable to do. … It’s about not really caring about all things other than what we’re here to do today, which is mandatory minicamp practice 1.”
This story was originally published June 10, 2025 at 11:19 AM.
