The Miami Dolphins' OTAs are underway, and it has already exposed a major problem without Jalen Ramsey.
Ramsey is not among the Dolphins players participating. He continues to wait for his Miami exit via trade, a move that could happen by the end of next week.
Without him, the Dolphins' depleted cornerback room is under serious pressure. An update on how it's going?
"Jaylen Waddle burned Dolphins DBs multiple times at today's OTA," writes David Furones of the Sun Sentinel. "Cam Smith pulled up limping after giving up a long touchdown."
The Dolphins publicly say they are confident in a competition between Smith and Storm Duck. That is borderline delusional. After two seasons, Smith has shown no forward progress, and Duck is entering his second season as an undrafted player. He needs more time.
Dolphins coaches will answer questions about the star cornerback, but the focus will be on the guys who are at the practice sessions. Those players, especially those in the cornerback room, are going to be under a big microscope.
Let's face the one singular face we know: Ramsey is gone. It will be a miracle if he is on the roster at the start of training camp. This roster has limited experience outside of Ramsey.
OTAs provide valuable reps. The Dolphins need to give them as much work as possible, and while it is just a series of practice sessions, this is a chance to start getting the work in that's needed.
Dolphins' 2025 season could depend on how good their secondary is without Jalen Ramsey
Miami will likely look for veteran help at the position, having reportedly had interest in Rasul Douglas and Asante Samuel Jr.
Chris Grier has stated he isn't concerned about the CB room. He made the same claims about the offensive line over the last five seasons. The CB room is a problem, no matter how much the team wants to deny it, and frankly, adding Douglas or Samuel Jr. would be a band-aid solution.
If the Dolphins are going to improve in the secondary, their coaching staff needs to find a way to prepare these inexperienced players for play, because no matter what, the Dolphins will need them significantly more than they are currently showing.
OTAs are the first step to getting them ready, but the early signs aren't encouraging.