Report: Jalen Ramsey to miss many months after undergoing surgery that likely lengthens his career

Miami Dolphins star cornerback Jalen Ramsey reportedly will be out until December after undergoing a full meniscus repair this morning.

The move should be the best long-term move for Ramsey, but it will certainly hurt the Dolphins in the 2023 season.

Ramsey was injured in practice on Thursday, a brutal blow for the Dolphins who are looking to improve their secondary that ranked 27th in passing yards allowed last season.

Now, Miami will likely lean on 2023 NFL Draft pick Cam Smith to play a bigger role this season alongside Xavien Howard at the cornerback position.

This offseason, Miami acquired Ramsey in a deal with the Los Angeles Rams. The price for Ramsey – who is one of the game’s best cornerbacks – was seen as a steal. Miami only gave up a third-round pick in the 2023 draft and 24-year-old tight end Hunter Long to the Rams in exchange for the star corner.

Last season, Ramsey appeared in all seventeen games for the Rams, picking off four passes in the process. He finished with a career-high 88 combined tackles, four tackles for loss, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.

The Dolphins still have Ramsey under contract for the 2024 and 2025 seasons, and there’s a chance he could return for some meaningful December games in the 2023 season if the Dolphins are in the mix for a playoff spot.

Miami made the playoffs in the 2022 season, finishing with a 9-8 record. The team was knocked out in the first round of the playoffs by the Buffalo Bills, but the team didn’t have starting quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (concussion) in that game.

With Ramsey out, the Dolphins are going to have their work cut out for them against the AFC East, which features star quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers (New York Jets) and Josh Allen (Bills). So, the team will need other players to step up in the secondary to succeed in 2023.

Smith, Kader Kohou, Justin Bethel, Nik Needham and Trill Williams are some options at the cornerback position behind Ramsey and Howard. It will be interesting to see which player will step up to fill the starting role left by Ramsey’s injury.