Stock Report (Day 17): Cam Smith moves up depth chart, but will he make 53-man roster?
Cam Smith is getting one last chance to impress the Miami Dolphins’ coaches and talent evaluators.
With Ethan Bonner sidelined by a hamstring injury he sustained Saturday in the 24-17 win against the Detroit Lions, and Kendall Sheffield sitting out Tuesday’s practice with an undisclosed injury, Smith has moved up the depth chart slightly in his return to action.
Smith, the Dolphins’ 2023 second-round pick, has sparingly participated in training camp’s practices because of a leg injury that sidelined him for two weeks. But the Dolphins were impressed by his solid play against the Lions, and absences from Bonner and Sheffield has the third-year veteran working against second-team receivers.
Coincidentally, the Dolphins are playing against the Jacksonville Jaguars this Saturday. During his rookie season Smith bit on a double move that cost Miami a 74-yard touchdown, and it landed him in then defensive coordinator Vic Fangio’s doghouse.
Smith has struggled to get in the team’s good graces since then, and it might lead to his release next week when Miami produces the 53-man roster by the Aug. 26 deadline.
With Storm Duck and Mike Hilton viewed as the cornerbacks who safely make it onto the 53-man roster, Smith is competing with Bonner and Sheffield, when healthy, Jack Jones, Cornell Armstrong and rookie Jason Marshall Jr. for one of the remaining three or four spots on the 53-man roster. Isaiah Johnson, BJ Adams, Ethan Robinson are more likely be be retained on the practice squad if they are deemed worthy.
General manager Chris Grier has typically shied away from cutting his draftees, but Smith has struggled for three seasons, and at this point his tenure in South Florida could be coming to an end if he doesn’t have a solid week of practice heading into Saturday’s final preseason game against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Top Performers
▪ Quarterback Zach Wilson: Miami only had two competitive periods in Tuesday’s practice, but Wilson threw a side-armed dart for a touchdown to Pharaoh Brown during Miami’s 11-on-11 red zone period. It was a clear display of the cannon the former BYU standout has for an arm.
▪ Tailback Aaron Shampklin: Shampklin, who had a 26-yard run in Miami’s preseason game against the Lions, had a nice goal-line run for a touchdown during 11-on-11 red zone work, and caught a touchdown pass from Quinn Ewers.
▪ Defensive lineman Alex Huntley: Delivered one of the few would-be sacks during the two competitive periods in joint practice. The Dolphins secondary was solid from a coverage standpoint against all three offenses, so the defensive front had time to get into the backfield.
STOCK UP
▪ Jason Marshall Jr., the Dolphins’ 2025 fifth-round pick, is being tested out as a nickel cornerback, and the Dolphins apparently like what they’ve seen from the team’s biggest cornerback. Marshall, who is 6 foot, 204 pounds, has never played the inside nickel spot before, and while he made mistakes last week against the Lions, the Dolphins coaches seemingly like his potential at the position. Keep in mind that Kader Kohou never played nickel until he was signed by the Dolphins as an undrafted rookie.
STOCK DOWN
▪ Ryan Stonehouse, the third year punter who had been competing with Jake Bailey all offseason, was waived on Tuesday, ending one of the few camp battles. Bailey averaged 13.3 more net yards per punt and had a longer hangtime on each player’s three punts.
Injury updates
Cornerback Ethan Bonner, who suffered a hamstring injury, is sidelined for a couple of days, if not weeks.
Receiver Tyreek Hill (oblique) worked on the side with trainers.He’s not expected to practice this week.
Cornerback Kendall Sheffield is sidelined by an undisclosed injury.
Offensive lineman Addison West didn’t practice Tuesday because of an undisclosed injury, which explains why Miami added former UFL player Mason Brooks on Monday.
Tailback De’Von Achane (calf) worked on the side with trainers. He’s not expected to practice this week.
Pass rusher Mohamed Kamara and fullback Alec Ingold, two players who are in the concussion protocol, were practicing in red jerseys, which means they can’t be hit.
Tight end Darren Waller remains on the PUP and hasn’t begun practicing with the team even though this was a two day stretch the team’s working on their own before Thursday’s joint practice with the Jaguars.
Edge rusher Jaelan Phillips, who was nursing a leg bruise, participated in practice for the first time in a week.
What they said
“The way he runs his defense will allow me to maximize my versatility. He has me to maximize my versatility. He has me doing more than one job,” — Dolphins safety Minkah Fitzpatrick, on his varied use in Anthony Weaver’s defense.
