The Miami Dolphins' plan to ship Jalen Ramsey out of town adds pressure for former second-round cornerback Cam Smith to step up.
The Dolphins' first selection of the 2023 NFL Draft, Smith was primarily a special teams player as a rookie, seeing 22 snaps under Vic Fangio. Last season, hamstring and shoulder injuries caused two stints on injured reserve and relegated the corner to six games played and 133 total snaps. In two seasons, Miami has gotten 155 snaps out of its second-round investment.
On Tuesday, it sounded like general manager Chris Grier's patience with Smith was running thin.
"Cam Smith needs to come through at the end of the day," Grier said, via the team's official transcript. "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."
It wasn't pretty even when he was on the field in 2024. Smith struggled in coverage, allowing 16 catches on 19 targets, per Pro Football Focus.
When the Dolphins trade Ramsey -- and Grier's comments sound like it's simply a matter of when, not if Miami moves on -- the club will be left with Smith, Kader Kohou -- who's primarily played nickel -- soon-to-be 30-year-old veteran Artie Burns and former undrafted free agents Storm Duck, Ethan Bonner, Isaiah Johnson and Jason Maitre in the CB corps.
The Dolphins are likely to add a cornerback next week during the draft, possibly early, but it would be in Miami's best interest if it could also count on Smith to become a consistent player.