Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey is dealing with a hamstring injury, the team’s first practice report of the 2024 season revealed Wednesday.
Ramsey, 29, has been dealing with an injury that was previously undisclosed since mid-August and didn’t play at all in preseason. His absence Wednesday raises serious doubts about his readiness to play in the Dolphins’ regular season opener against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but head coach Mike McDaniel had nothing but positive things to say about the situation.
“I’ve never been prouder of a player not practicing, like honestly. No puffery,” McDaniel told reporters. “He’s just making me proud because he knows how important he is to this team and what he’s looking to accomplish with the team as a captain. … I know he’s doing everything he can today and there weren’t any setbacks today.”
Ramsey missed the first seven games of the 2023 season after undergoing offseason meniscus surgery. While he only played in 10 games, Ramsey still earned his seventh consecutive Pro Bowl nod.
Prior to his August setback, Ramsey was feeling exceedingly optimistic about his health heading into the 2024 season.
“This is my first offseason in, I think three years now, that I’ve been healthy,” Ramsey said in a vlog posted in April. “So y’all are going to see, really, what I envision an offseason looking like for me. What I envision an offseason looking like for me to be at the tip-top performance of where I want to be.”
If Ramsey is unavailable Sunday against the Jaguars, it will likely be nickel cornerback Kader Kohou who slides outside to make the start opposite Kendall Fuller. The Dolphins also have second-year cornerback Ethan Bonner, who was one of the team’s standouts in training camp and preseason.
