It's not an exaggeration to say that the Miami Dolphins have perhaps the worst cornerback room in the NFL after trading Jalen Ramsey to the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the last thing they needed on a day that featured one very serious injury was yet another ailment striking down one of their defensive backs.
Cornerback Artie Burns, who figured to add some veteran experience to one of the younger defensive back rooms in the league, injured his knee and was forced to leave practice on crutches. Dolphins coaches seem to be fearing that Burns suffered a torn ACL that could end his 2025 season.
The Dolphins are just trying to get to their opening game against the Indianapolis Colts without the wheels falling off of their roster, and unfortunate injuries like this only serve to put another roadblock in front of Mike McDaniel.
Dolphins CB Artie Burns feared to have torn ACL
Burns is a former first round pick of the Steelers, the team with whom he has primarily played during his professional career. However, Steelers fans may not be too fond of Burns himself, as he failed to live up to the hype as a high draft pick and was routinely roasted by elite receivers.
Burns has spent the last few years bouncing around the bottom of various depth charts in Chicago and Seattle before signing with Miami this offseason. While a thin cornerback room could have given him a road to instant playing time, the Dolphins now need to figure out if another big swing is warranted.
The most likely starting trio in a base nickel defense involves Storm Duck as the No. 1 outside cornerback with oft-injured second-rounder Cam Smith and slot star Kadar Kohou filling out the remaining roles. Fifth-round rookie Jason Marshall Jr. could replace Burns as a backup, but that isn't the most enticing example out there.
Burns' injury is likely not going to completely destabilize the defense, but it will blow an even bigger hole in a unit that could not afford to sustain any more losses before heading into a season that could get many of the coaches fired if it goes sideways.