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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Mike Masala

Dolphins have two of PFF’s top-32 cornerbacks entering 2023

The Miami Dolphins have wrapped up their offseason training program, as rookie minicamp, organized team activities and mandatory minicamp are all in the rearview.

Now, there are a few weeks of downtime before Mike McDaniel’s squad meets again for training camp and joint practices starting in late July.

Until then, the NFL world doesn’t sleep. There will be plenty of transactions to keep everyone busy and entertained, and as always, there are discussions regarding where players rank among their peers.

Pro Football Focus has been ranking each position, and Sam Monson was responsible for handling the cornerbacks. The Dolphins had two cornerbacks make the top 32 – Jalen Ramsey (No. 2) and Xavien Howard (No. 17).

Here’s what Monson wrote about Ramsey and Howard:

“Ramsey has now had outstanding seasons playing in multiple different defenses and in multiple distinct roles. His versatility is peerless, and he is the best run defender at the position in the NFL. Within a Vic Fangio defense in Miami, we could well be in line for the best version of Jalen Ramsey in 2023, and it wouldn’t be a surprise at all for him to top the PFF cornerback grades this season.

Howard has been inconsistent in the NFL, but often year to year rather than within a season. 2022 was an ugly season for him, but the previous two had been far better. Even last year, he still notched 12 pass breakups to claw back some of the damage done by allowing six touchdowns and more than 800 yards in the regular season.”

The lone cornerback to appear above Ramsey on this list is New York Jets second-year stud Sauce Gardner.

Miami’s cornerback room is one of the deepest in the NFL, as behind the duo of Ramsey and Howard are some promising young players, including rookie Cam Smith and 2022 undrafted free agent Kader Kohou.

Kohou was a PFF standout last season, as he graded as their 36th-best cornerback despite jumping from a small collegiate program to the NFL where he was essentially the Dolphins’ starting cornerback opposite Howard for a big chunk of the season.

If Ramsey and Howard can remain healthy for the 2023 season opposing offensive coordinators will have some sleepless nights before their matchups with Miami.

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