The Miami Dolphins‘ secondary – especially the cornerback portion of it – has been in constant flux ever since the offseason, when the team traded away Jalen Ramsey to the Pittsburgh Steelers and subsequently lost their top CB, slot Kader Kohou, to a season-ending knee injury.
Subsequently, the team lost fellow starting boundary corner and 2024 undrafted free agent, Storm Duck in week 1’s blowout loss to the Indianapolis Colts, whilst 2023 second round pick, Cam Smith, was moved to the Non-Football Injury (NFI) list back in August.
Whilst NFI additions are normally kept somewhat private, there were almost no details that came out concerning Smith’s situation, or when he might return to the team.
As such, the team took a decision on Tuesday afternoon to release him, per the team’s official X account.
We have waived CB Cam Smith off the reserve/non-football illness list.” The account posted on Tuesday.
Why Did The Dolphins Release Cam Smith?
Smith has not been the impact player that the Dolphins were looking for when they selected him with the 51st overall pick back in 2023.
An uninspiring rookie season under former defensive coordinator, Vic Fangio, was followed by not much better sophomore year in 2024 under new DC, Anthony Weaver
Smith also ended up on the injured reserve twice last season; once at the beginning due to a hamstring problem, followed by shoulder injury towards the end of the year; which limited his time on the field to just six total games.
Yet, his performances during his time on the field did not inspire much confidence that he would turn it around anytime soon.
General manager, Chris Grier, uttered a warning/rallying cry to the former South Carolina man back in April, noting that they can no longer “hold his hand and wait for him anymore.”
Cam Smith needs to come through at the end of the day,” Grier said back in April, prior to the 2025 NFL Draft, “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.”
And after his latest unavailability, it seems that Grier and head coach, Mike McDaniel, have ultimately called it quits and pulled the plug on their once much-valued investment.
What Will The Dolphins’ Cornerback Situation Look Like Without Smith?
Functionally, not a lot will change. Miami have been operating with a tandem of veteran cornerbacks, Rasul Douglas and Jack Jones, on the perimeter, with now fourth choice nickel, Cornell Amstrong, operating out of the slot – after Kohou, Artie Burns and promising fifth round rookie, Jason Marshall Jr., all ended up on IR.
Whilst concerns have been bought up as to the expected of quality of play produced by the two veterans, they have been far from the team’s biggest liability.
In fact, on Monday night, Douglas and Jones recorded the team’s top grades from Pro Football Focus, clocking in at 85.8 and 79.5 on the night.
A priority this offseason will be to shore up the position group with some long-term additions, either in the draft or in free agency, but for now – the team have a surprisingly competent CB group.
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