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The Miami Dolphins’ 2025 NFL Draft strategy has left a lot of people confused — including ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. — and a lot of it circles back to the ongoing Jalen Ramsey saga. Entering the draft, the Dolphins were dealing with a mountain of issues: losing Jevon Holland in free agency, a glaring need at cornerback, Terron Armstead’s retirement, and of course, shopping Ramsey less than a year after handing him a massive extension. Despite all that, Miami spent the No. 13 pick not on a defensive back, but on nose tackle Kenneth Grant.
“Good player, wrong spot,” Kiper said, puzzled at Miami bypassing the secondary with their first-rounder. “Especially with everything swirling around Ramsey and the glaring need at safety.”
Indeed, the Dolphins didn’t even touch their secondary until Day 3, when they took Florida’s Jason Marshall Jr. (CB) and Maryland’s Dante Trader Jr. (S). Meanwhile, rumors about Ramsey’s future — and potential return to the Rams — continue to swirl. After confirming before the draft that they were exploring trades, GM Chris Grier said over the weekend that they’re still fielding offers and will move Ramsey “at the appropriate time.”
What will the Dolphins do about Jalen Ramsey?
Given that a post-June 1 trade would save the Dolphins over $18 million in cap space, it now seems all but certain Ramsey’s exit will happen later this summer. Until then, Miami’s cornerback room is a patchwork mix of Storm Duck, Cam Smith, and Ethan Bonner — hardly enough to inspire confidence.
Adding to the confusion, Miami’s overall draft was head-scratching even beyond the Ramsey mess. Jonah Savaiinaea projects as a solid plug on the offensive line, but Kiper was blunt about seventh-round QB Quinn Ewers, calling him “a backup at best.” The team also spent another mid-round pick on a defensive tackle (Jordan Phillips), despite bigger needs elsewhere.
Meanwhile, back in Los Angeles, the Rams’ post-draft buzz has increasingly focused on a potential reunion with Ramsey. Head coach Sean McVay admitted there are “a lot of layers” to a possible deal — including the hefty $24.2 million guaranteed salary Ramsey carries — but didn’t rule anything out. After not drafting a cornerback, L.A. looks like a prime landing spot, needing secondary help to match a rebuilt defensive front.
As it stands, the Dolphins’ handling of Ramsey — along with their questionable draft priorities — paints a picture of a team still trying to figure out its identity. Ramsey remains in limbo, Miami’s secondary is razor-thin, and McDaniel’s squad looks no closer to closing the gap on AFC contenders.
For now, Kiper’s C+ grade feels generous. Unless a trade haul or major secondary help comes in soon, the Dolphins’ offseason might end up as baffling as their draft night decisions.
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Illegal tackle causes Colts RB to suffer 'severe leg injury'
The Indianapolis Colts had a scary moment on Sunday when a running back went down during an 11-on-11 team period. Per James Boyd of The Athletic, practice had to be stopped for 10 minutes while trainers attended to running back Salvon Ahmed, who suffered a "severe leg injury" after he was brought down via an illegal tackle by safety Trey Washington. "The injury occurred when Ahmed broke a long run during an 11-on-11 period," Boyd wrote. "He was tackled from behind by undrafted rookie safety Trey Washington, but when Washington grabbed Ahmed, who kept his legs churning, Washington used a hip-drop tackle to bring Ahmed down and landed on his lower right leg. Ahmed immediately grabbed his lower right leg and screamed in agony. "Steichen said the players in the developmental periods (essentially third-stringers and players lower than them on the depth chart) were instructed to tackle during 11-on-11. However, Steichen emphasized, Washington’s hip-drop tackle was obviously the wrong way to bring Ahmed down." Steichen said the coaching staff doesn't encourage hip-drop tackles, and claimed Washington is "down in the dumps" after his tackle led to Ahmed's injury. The unfortunate incident highlights how difficult it can be for NFL defenders to make a tackle. The league made the hip-drop tackle illegal to try and curb injuries, as offensive players thought it was a dirty hit. In Washington's case, the undrafted rookie free agent from Ole Miss wasn't trying to make a dirty hit but trying to make a football move in a competitive environment to keep his job. Before the injury, Ahmed was trying to make a case for the practice squad, where he spent time on during 2024.
Aaron Boone addresses Alex Rodriguez’s criticism of Yankees
New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone responded Sunday, one day after Alex Rodriguez suggested his team lacks discipline and accountability. On FOX’s MLB pregame show Saturday, Rodriguez questioned the “accountability” of the Yankees after Boone did not pull Jazz Chisholm from Saturday’s loss to Miami after the infielder made a brutal baserunning blunder. Rodriguez suggested that the Yankees do not face consequences for such mistakes, and that it has contributed to further errors. “If any one of us made a mistake, we would be sitting our butt right on the bench,” Rodriguez said. “I see mistake after mistake, and there’s no consequences.” Boone took issue with those remarks when asked about them on Sunday. He said he accepts that the Yankees will always face added scrutiny, but that he disagreed with the substance of Rodriguez’s remarks. “I would disagree a little bit with the accountability factor, but the reality is, we’re focused every day on being the best we can be,” Boone said, via Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. “That’s how we have to do it. But I understand when it doesn’t happen, or we don’t have the record that I think we should have, or certainly people think we should have — that comes with the territory.” Boone is known for keeping things positive publicly, even when things are going poorly for the Yankees. That has led to some criticism from fans, who feel that he goes too easy on his players when they are underperforming. The team’s recent stretch of mediocre play combined with a lack of consequences for errors like Chisholm’s have reinforced those critiques. The Yankees lost again on Sunday and were swept by the Marlins, dropping them to 60-51 on the season. Until the team starts consistently winning again, Boone is going to hear more comments like Rodriguez’s.
DK Metcalf makes huge claim about Steelers defense
D.K. Metcalf has faced plenty of steep competition through his first six NFL seasons, both during games and practice, but the star wide receiver has noticed something different in his first training camp with the Pittsburgh Steelers. During an interview with Ian Rapoport and Steve Smith of NFL Network on Sunday, Metcalf discussed some of his first impressions of the Steelers. He spoke about how challenging it has been to go up against cornerbacks Joey Porter Jr., Jalen Ramsey and Darius Slay every day. When asked how the practice competition compares to what he saw with the Seattle Seahawks, Metcalf made a bold claim about his new teammates. "You don't want my opinion, because I think they're the best defense I've ever seen," Metcalf said. "There's some dogs everywhere on the field, and I tip my hat to them because they come to work every day and we don't have any choice but to get better." There is no question that the Steelers should have one of the best defensive backfields in the NFL on paper. While they sent five-time Pro Bowl safety Minkah Fitzpatrick to the Miami Dolphins in the Ramsey trade, their cornerback trio of Ramsey, Porter and Slay is as talented as any in the league. The Steelers allowed 20.4 points per game last year, which ranked eighth in the NFL. Their pass defense surrendered 228 yards per game, which only ranked 25th. If Metcalf's assessment is accurate, Pittsburgh should show great improvement against the pass in 2025.
Dolphins lock in defensive standout to long-term extension
It's been a lucrative weekend for some of the NFL's defensive tackles. Just one day after the Denver Broncos locked in Zach Allen on a long-term deal, the Miami Dolphins did the same with another Zach — Zach Sieler — and signed him to a three-year, $67 million extension that will now make him the highest-paid defensive player on the Dolphins roster. The Dolphins defense took a big step forward in 2024 and climbed to the top 10 in points allowed and the top four in yards allowed. They still struggled against some of the NFL's better teams, but it was a better unit overall and Sieler was a big part of that. He's been a full-time starter the past three seasons and is coming off back-to-back 10-sack campaigns for the Dolphins. He is going to turn 30 just after Week 1 of the season, but his game should age well throughout the contract extension. It was a quiet free agent signing period for the Dolphins defense, mainly focusing on depth additions, but they did make one blockbuster trade by sending Jalen Ramsey and Jonnu Smith to the Pittsburgh Steelers for Minkah Fitzpatrick. They also addressed the defensive line in the 2025 NFL Draft in a big way by selecting defensive lineman with two of their first three picks. That included first-round pick Kenneth Grant out of Michigan and fifth-round pick Jordan Phillips out of Maryland.
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