Vic Fangio's comments on Cam Smith doesn't bode well for the Miami Dolphins rookie
By Brian Miller
Any Miami Dolphins fans who believed the drafting of CB Cam Smith was a bad move by Chris Grier are not going to like what Vic Fangio had to say about him.
Speaking with the media on Thursday, Vic Fangio didn't seem too impressed with rookie Cam Smith who has yet to play a meaningful role on defense in 2023.
Fangio on what Cam Smith needs to do to get on the field: "Improve in all areas. Assignment, technique, execution, know how."
— Adam Beasley (@AdamHBeasley) January 4, 2024
Smith was Miami's first pick in last April's draft. Taken in round two, the Dolphins bolstered their CB room but many speculated way back then that Chris Grier was taking a player that he personally knew. Smith was a teammate of Grier's son at South Carolina.
Throughout the year fans and media have wondered why Smith has yet to get on the field. Eli Apple has not played well and there has been plenty of injuries in the secondary. With Xavien Howard almost a guaranteed scratch this week, Miami will turn to Apple over the rookie.
There were plenty of questions regarding Smith's ability to get on the field. Dating back to training camp there were rumors that he couldn't pick up the playbook to the satisfaction of Fangio.
To be fair, it is hard to throw the rookie out there in one of the biggest games of the year and into the playoffs without having any reps at the position outside of practice. It wouldn't make much sense.
The selection of Smith is concerning considering he has not been on the field. Some wondered if part of the issue was Smith not wanting to do what was asked but it was nothing more than speculation.
Clearly, Fangio believes that Smith is not ready yet and has not been all year. What is most interesting, however, is that even when the Dolphins had big leads late in the game, Smith stayed on the sidelines and didn't get on the field. In all, Smith has been on the field for only 18 snaps, which is 2% of the Dolphins' defensive snaps this season according to ProFootballReference.com.
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