On Tuesday, Miami Dolphins general manager Chris Grier held a quick press conference and touched on a few items regarding the team. He also called out one of his players.
While fans theorized that Grier may have called the impromptu presser to announce he was stepping down (it didn't happen), it seemed an odd press conference to call considering he only openly touched on the Jalen Ramsey situation before fielding questions.
At one point, Grier was asked about the corner position, and he made it clear about his feelings regarding Cam Smith, who is entering his third season with Miami. To do this publicly was a huge step outside of the normal box the Dolphins operate in.
"Cam Smith needs to come through at the end of the day. He’s got to stay healthy and be on the field. He has shown some flashes, but this is a very big year. He knows what’s expected because we can’t hold his hand and wait for him anymore."
Miami Dolphins CB Cam Smith gets brutally honest evaluation from Chris Grier out of nowhere
Smith was drafted in the second round in 2023. He was the "who is this?" pick of that year's draft, which was made worse by the fact Miami didn't have a first-round selection that year. In his first preseason, Smith looked to be heading in the right direction, but he got under the skin of former Dolphins defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, who kept him sidelined the entire season.
With Fangio gone heading into 2024, it was almost a given that Smith would get an increase in workload. The young cornerback was pretty clear when Fangio left that he wasn't disappointed. But instead of climbing into the defensive rotation, Smith still couldn't get out from being passed over by other players, including undrafted Storm Duck.
There is no question that Smith needs to play better, but it may be at the point where just getting better isn't enough. Smith was a reach in the second round, and many fans pointed to the fact that Smith played with Grier's son at South Carolina.
Now, he may be on his last rope, as it seems Miami is about done walking him through the motions. If Smith can't perform in training camp, he may not make the team.