Finsmob Unleashed

Unfortunately for the Miami Dolphins, the above image is more representative of Jalen Ramsey than him actually being in a Miami Dolphins uniform on a Gameday Sunday. Ramsey went down in practice holding his knee, and it’s clear it’s the meniscus. What’s not perfectly clear is how bad the damage is, and how complex the surgery will be. Apparently there are two ways this can go. If the damage isn’t too sever, they may be able to trim the ligament and tighten it up. That’s the best case scenario. This would have Ramsey back in about 8 weeks from today, meaning he’d only miss a few weeks of the season, maybe the first quarter. The reality though is that it’s more likely they will have to fully repair the meniscus, which would mean Ramsey will miss the majority of the season, and at best, could return some time in December.

Well, many of us scratched our head when the Dolphins selected CB with the 51st pick (RD 2) in the 2023 NFL Draft out of South Carolina. Now that move looks brilliant, and he may be leaned on to have some serious playing time. He’s currently #2 on the depth chart at LCB behind Xavien Howard. This injury may change all that. Smith won’t be thrust into the position without earning it though. Last year’s UDFA rookie CB Kader Kohou and Keion Crossen, as well as Trill Williams will be in the mix. There’s also potential for a trade or vet signing. Kohou who was slotted for Nickel back rose to every challenge, much like Nik Needham did in previous seasons. Needham is coming off an injury of his own, and we may need him back quicker than expected due to this injury. Needham is currently on the PUP list, but that doesn’t mean he can’t be available for the season’s start.

We know the defense is in good hands with Vic Fangio at the helm of Defensive Coordinator. This defense will still be formidable without Jalen Ramsey, but Ramsey could have elevated it to special. As always in this sport, it’s next man up, so either the rookie Cam Smith will have to bite quicker than expected, or someone else will have to step up. We’ll know later today the severity of the injury for Jalen Ramsey and his prognosis going forward. I’m not optimistic, I prefer to be realistic and assume he’s either done for the season, or potentially available to make a very late season push. Even in the latter scenario, it’s not like you can just expect him to hit the field in December like nothing happened. The realist (pessimist?) in me is expecting the worst possible news and we may just have to add another DB to the mix. I hope I’m wrong and for once, we catch a break and Ramsey will be fine to play in October. Fingers crossed!

GO DOLPHINS!!!