ESPN analyst believes Dolphins secondary could be ‘worst position group’ in NFL if Jalen Ramsey is traded

The Miami Dolphins have already lost multiple fixtures to their secondary from the 2024 season.

Safety Jevon Holland is now a member of the New York Giants, as he agreed to join them on a lucrative deal in free agency after he was a member of the Dolphins for each of his first four seasons in the NFL. The Dolphins selected Holland with a second-round pick back in the 2021 NFL Draft.

In addition, safety Jordan Poyer ranked second on the Dolphins in combined tackles during the 2024 season with a whopping 98, yet he’s currently an unsigned free agent and a return to Miami seems unlikely.

But the Dolphins could very well take another hit to their secondary sooner rather than later, as star cornerback Jalen Ramsey has been in trade rumors for a while now. ESPN analyst Ben Solak thinks that if the Dolphins trade Ramsey, their secondary could be the “worst position group” in the entire NFL.

“If the Dolphins trade Jalen Ramsey, their starting secondary will be Storm Duck and Cam Smith at outside corner, Kader Kohou in the nickel and Ashtyn Davis and Ifeatu Melifonwu at safety,” Solak wrote. “I’m sorry to say that’s an early candidate for ‘worst position group’ in the league.”

Ramsey has long been one of the more disruptive players at the cornerback position in the game, and he’s played for three NFL teams in the Dolphins, Los Angeles Rams and Jacksonville Jaguars. The 30-year-old has been a member of the Dolphins organization since the 2023 season.

Out of the current secondary players mentioned for Miami, only Davis and Melifonwu didn’t play for the Dolphins last season. The Dolphins signed Melifonwu to a one-year, $4 million deal after he logged three starts with the Detroit Lions in the 2024 campaign. Furthermore, the Dolphins inked Davis to a one-year deal, and he racked up 35 combined tackles (25 solo) along with five tackles for loss in 15 appearances with the New York Jets last season.

If the Dolphins do part ways with Ramsey at some point this offseason and can’t get at least one very good secondary player in return for the seven-time Pro Bowler, their defense might not be good enough to get the team back in the playoffs in the 2025 season. The Dolphins missed the playoffs for the first time under head coach Mike McDaniel in the 2024 campaign and ended up with an 8-9 record.