The Jalen Ramsey injury in Miami Dolphins training camp was a major blow to the AFC East team. Ahead of the Dolphins' 2023 NFL season, the front office put together what was likely going to be the best cornerback duo in the league this year, with Ramsey and Xavien Howard. Now, Ramsey is out for a significant time, and the team must replace him with internal candidates or with the NFL free agent targets below.
On an internal level, the CB depth behind Ramsey and Howard is pretty solid. The Dolphins roster includes 2022 undrafted free agent Kader Kohou, who started 13 games last season, second-round pick out of South Carolina, Cam Smith, and veteran CBs Justin Bethel, Nik Needham, and Keion Crossen.
Still, Kohou will play the slot, Smith is a rookie, Bethel just turned 33, and Needham and Crossen are depth pieces. If the Dolphins want to try and find a starter or even a legit dime corner to bulk up their secondary, these are the three NFL free agent targets the team should consider bringing into Dolphins training camp at the start of the 2023 NFL season.
Troy Hill
If the Dolphins can’t have Jalen Ramsey, how about signing his CB partner for the last three-plus years in Los Angeles, Troy Hill?
Hill is an eight-year NFL veteran who will be 32 at the end of August. In his career, the 2015 undrafted free agent from Oregon has 334 tackles, 12 tackles for a loss, 3.0 sacks, three fumble recoveries, eight interceptions, 34 passes defended, and two defensive touchdowns.
The CB, who has played for the Cincinnati Bengals, Los Angeles Rams, and Cleveland Browns is getting older, but he has played at a high level for the last several years. He hasn’t made the Pro Bowl, but he’s come darn close as a Rams corner.
Hill will be able to fill in nicely for Ramsey, a former teammate he is very familiar with, and when the time comes for Ramsey to return, Hill will make a nice depth piece and add some valuable veteran experience to the CB meeting rooms, which will help Smith and Kohou develop.
Anthony Averett
Former Baltimore Ravens and Las Vegas Raider CB Anthony Averett is one of the younger free-agent corners still on the market at just 28 years old.
As a 2018 fourth-round pick of the Ravens, Averett developed into a solid starting corner for Baltimore during his four seasons there. He started 21 of 44 games and made 101 tackles, three interceptions, and had 22 passes defended.
Last season, he signed a one-year deal with the Raiders. Averett suffered a broken thumb in Week 1, came back for Weeks 7 through 12, then a toe injury sidelined him for the rest of the 2022 campaign.
If the Dolphins can get Averett on another one-year, prove-it deal like the Raiders did last season, it would be well worth the money and a smart replacement move after the Jalen Ramsey injury.
Eli Apple
OK, most Dolphins fans probably don’t want to hear this, but Eli Apple is one of the best Jalen Ramsey replacement options left on the market.
Apple, 27, was the No. 10 pick of the 2016 NFL Draft by the New York Giants, and the former Ohio State corner has already played for five teams — Giants, New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, and Cincinnati Bengals — in his seven-year NFL career.
This is because he talks a lot of trash, even for a cornerback, and the rumors are that he quickly rubs other players in the locker room the wrong way. The second part may have a lot to do with the first, especially when he doesn’t back it up on the field.
Still, Dolphins training camp has already started, and the team will have to live with what is still available on the market. And Apple is what’s available on the market.
Apple is a decent CB who has 335 tackles, seven for a loss, five interceptions, and 51 passes defended. As a fill-in, those are great numbers. And on a team like the Dolphins, with a lot of strong personalities, maybe Apple’s antics aren’t as big of a deal as they have been in the past.
The franchise simply has to weigh the risk-reward with this one. When it comes to age, production, and talent, Apple is probably the best available CB. However, is it worth the potential strain on the locker room by bringing in a guy whose teammates just don’t seem to like him?
The Dolphins will have to figure that out for themselves as they look for a Jalen Ramsey injury replacement with what is left on the NFL free-agent market.
Follow Us
Subscribe