The Miami Dolphins cornerback room heading into training camp this season is a wide-open competition. Excluding Jalen Ramsey, nine defensive-skilled players could find themselves taking reps with the first team throughout training camp. Ramsey, 29, is the undisputed leader of this group heading into year two with the Dolphins.
Miami lost a total of eight players in this position, including Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard. With the loss of high-quality talent and a change at defensive coordinator, anyone can jump into the 53-man roster at corner. Ambitious rookies, returning veterans, and new faces from division rivals are all potential candidates.
Dolphins Training Camp: Previewing the Cornerbacks
Ramsey Walks in Camp Healthy With New Coordinator
Ramsey had a slow start to the 2023 season. The All-Pro cornerback suffered a knee injury early in his first training camp as a Dolphin. Ramsey reappeared in week eight against the New England Patriots for Miami and created an immediate impact with an interception. Since that midseason game, the nine-year veteran has been the mitochondria for the Dolphins secondary.
With Ramsey at full health, his presence on the field in training camp will aid new defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver. Ramsey has already been hands-on in communication with Weaver. The corner believes that the new coordinator will allow him to show off his full skillset as former Miami defensive coordinator Vic Fangio did.
“I think he’s a great coach — I think it’s a good hire,” Ramsey said. “I think he’ll put guys in position to do really good things and show their whole skillset, and that’s fun. That makes the game fun.”
Needham Expected to Take Larger Role on Defense
Cornerback Nik Needham enters this year’s training camp as the longest-tenured defensive Dolphins player on the roster. With five seasons under his belt since joining Miami as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2019, he’ll be asked to fill in a bigger role with Howard gone — something he has experienced when his former teammate dealt with injury.
Last season was a setback under Fangio for the 6-foot-1-inch corner. Needham wasn’t able to begin training camp as a full participant due to an Achilles injury in 2022. He returned to the roster, similar to Ramsey, in week eight last season. Needham finished the year with a career-low four solo tackles through 10 games.
Now with a fresh restart, and with the No. 2 spot open, the 27-year-old corner will be vital to the Dolphins’ success in the secondary. Needham bettered well against receivers in the slot throughout his career. He’ll need to work more on defending the outside in camp.
Kohou Bound for a Big Jump in Year Three
One of the many young promising players on this defensive roster is third-year cornerback Kader Kohou. The 25-year-old through two seasons has garnered 125 tackles, an interception, and batted away 20 passes when targeted.
Kohou is expected to continue his climb in the position group. With Weaver calling plays for him, the 2022 undrafted rookie free agent will be placed once again in another defensive scheme for the third time in his pro career. Fangio, Konhou’s second coordinator in the NFL, switched a lot of defensive backs around throughout last season with no one being placed on a specific side of the field.
Quarterbacks took advantage of this against Konhou as he gave up eight touchdowns, while quarterbacks completed 81.9% of passes when targeted in 2023. The 5-foot-10-inch corner will need to take this training camp as a chance to adjust to Weaver’s system and as an all-around defensive back.
Fuller Favored for the Second-String Slot
The newest addition from NFL free agency cornerback, Kendall Fuller, is one of the most talented lockdown defensive players in the league. The 2020 Super Bowl champion comes in as a seasoned veteran with not only experience but with efficient consistency playing man coverage.
Fuller, in 2023, intercepted the ball twice and had a career-high 79 overall tackles with the Washington Commanders. He forced a tight window on 48% of his targets in man coverage last season, the fourth-highest in the NFL, according to Next Gen Stats. Miami, whose defense finished tied for ninth-lowest in this category, will benefit from this while they work in training camp.
The 29-year-old defensive back joined the Dolphins with a two-year deal, which will keep him next to Ramsey throughout his tenure in Miami. Ramsey and Fuller have known each other since competing in high school. This chemistry, and his continued success in coverage, will make him a favorite to take the second-string spot previously held by Howard.
Needham and Kohou will be in the race as well with Fuller. Both cornerbacks, as mentioned, are returnees on the roster. However, this may not be seen as an advantage under a new defensive regime.
Neal Might Be the Top Player on Special Teams in Camp
Despite six years in the NFL, cornerback Siran Neal hasn’t seen much of the field outside of special teams. While with the Buffalo Bills, the 29-year-old defensive back recorded 85 tackles, assisted on 30, and started only once through 97 games played. Still, he comes to the Dolphins as the most experienced special teams player without being a day over 30.
Neal throughout his career has played in 1,714 snaps in special teams’ coverage roles. That’s more than three times the snaps the cornerback has experienced on defense. Neal may do more in training camp defensively than he has done in Buffalo, but his presence on special teams will be impactful through camp with other skilled players trying to make the roster.
Smith Could Prove Himself for More Playing Time
Miami cornerback Cam Smith didn’t have a lot of playing time last season under Fangio. The Dolphins’ third-round selection from the 2023 NFL Draft had appeared in 15 games, but one solo tackle for the season. Smith was placed more as a special teams player with a total of 210 snaps while being placed on defense for only 2% of the season.
Out of South Carolina, the former Gamecock allowed receivers to have multiple receptions against him twice throughout 11 games in his last year of college. Smith showed promise throughout last season’s camp and preseason. He broke passes up and was a ball hawk in coverage, but struggled to complete tackles.
Smith can prove his worth in camp with Weaver eyeing his development starting in year two. He’ll need to work on tackling and becoming a better athlete to compete for at least a third-string position at cornerback.
The Rookies to Know
Three undrafted rookie free agents joined the room before the start of training camp. Cornerbacks Storm Duck, Isaiah Johnson, and Jason Maitre have found themselves in the fold of this roster with a chance to make the cut. Even though it is unlikely for them to make the 53-man roster, they can impress enough throughout camp to potentially become practice squad guys.
Duck is an interesting piece in this young group. The 23-year-old was named one of the “UDFA’s to watch” for Miami by Pro Football Focus. PFF described him as a player who could stick on the roster as a rotational cornerback. At Louisville last season, Duck started in five of 13 games played and concluded the year with the second-most pass breakups on the team. In total, he had 32 tackles and a sack in 2023 for the Cardinals.
Johnson from Syracuse comes in as a leader right off the bat. The 6-foot-3-inch corner was a team captain for the Orange in his redshirt senior year in 2023. Johnson was one of the elite defenders on that roster. He finished the year fifth in tackles with 62, broke up six passes, caught an interception, and forced a fumble. Johnson allowed four passing touchdowns when targeted all year. The six-year college veteran was targeted 51 times through every game.
Maitre was the starting nickel cornerback for the Wisconsin Badgers in 2023. The former Badger played nine out of 12 games at nickel. Maitre, a former top-10 high school recruit from the state of Massachusetts, has always played on the big stage. He put together 33 tackles, an interception, and tacked on three pass breakups facing the best from the Big Ten. The stage, although not Camp Randall Stadium, will be larger for Maitre in training camp.
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