Marcel Louis-Jacques, ESPN
MIAMI — Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard stood at a podium in a while nearest strolling off the follow farmland Tuesday when an area reporter requested him who crowd must be observing for as camp opened.
Howard didn’t hesitate.
“Kader,” he spoke back.
He was once relating to second-year cornerback Kader Kohou, who was once a revelation as an undrafted detached agent latter season. And the possible Kohou flashed as a rookie will want to be evolved faster than anticipated nearest Thursday’s information that Jalen Ramsey will go through surgical procedure at the meniscus in his left knee and is predicted to omit the beginning of the steady season, league assets informed ESPN’s Adam Schefter. One supply informed Schefter he may just omit “a few months,” relying on how the surgical procedure is going.
“My boy, Kader. Dude is a straight dawg,” Howard mentioned. “His mentality he has, just being an undrafted guy, I continue to see him grow and get better on the field.”
Ramsey left follow Thursday nearest colliding with broad receiver Tyreek Hill all the way through 11-on-11 drills and was once carted to the reserve room nearest follow. He underwent an MRI and was once identified with a meniscus trauma.
It’s a frustratingly habitual tale for the Dolphins, who’ve handled accidents on the cornerback place for the day 3 years — in particular in 2022, when Byron Jones, Nik Needham and Trill Williams ignored a blended 45 regular-season video games. Even nearest buying and selling for Ramsey this offseason, Dolphins common supervisor Chris Grier drafted cornerback Cam Smith in the second one around so as to add intensity to the room.
“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,” Grier mentioned.
The Dolphins face 5 of the supremacy 10 groups in ESPN’s Soccer Energy Index within the first 11 weeks, together with the Kansas City Chiefs, Buffalo Bills, Philadelphia Eagles, New York Jets and Los Angeles Chargers.
Generation Ramsey’s timetable is fluid at this level, even the best-case state of affairs is a significant setback for the Dolphins’ protection, which is transitioning to a unused scheme underneath defensive coordinator Vic Fangio.
Kohou began 13 video games as a rookie and will have taken offense to the 2 main additions the group made at his place.
“First of all, I wasn’t even supposed to be here last year,” he mentioned. “It is always going to be competition and stuff. I was excited when they added Ramsey. He is one of my favorite players to watch. I feel like him being here with X, I’m going to just learn from them, and it’s going to take my game to another level.”
Miami already wasn’t at full strength entering training camp. Needham, a slot cornerback, is making his return from a torn Achilles he suffered last October. He was not placed on the team’s physically unable to perform list and was present for spring practices, doing work off to the side.
As it stands, Kohou and Smith would likely start along with Howard, with Keion Crossen and 2020 first-round select Noah Igbinoghene within the combine, as neatly. Trill Williams has also yet to return in full after tearing an ACL last preseason, but he had a strong training camp in 2022 and could challenge for meaningful snaps once by the end of the summer.
That end of the season push gon be legendary! 🙏🏾🧡🩵
— Jalen Ramsey (@jalenramsey) July 27, 2023
Howard was a Pro Bowl selection in each of the past three seasons and an All-Pro in 2020. Now healthy after battling soft tissue injuries in 2021 and 2022, Howard still believes he is a No. 1 cornerback, despite a down year last season.
“I believe? I am a true No. 1. What are you talking about?” Howard laughed on Tuesday. “But we’re cornerbacks. We have that. That’s part of our game.”
The Dolphins have the NFL’s fourth-toughest schedule this season, according to ESPN’s FPI. Miami will need Ramsey for a December playoff push, during which it hosts the Tennessee Titans, Jets and Dallas Cowboys sooner than enjoying the Baltimore Ravens on the road and ending the regular season at home against the Bills.
“That finish of the season push gon be mythical!” Ramsey tweeted Thursday night time.
