Dolphins Suffer Major Blow in Secondary

The Miami Dolphins got some bad injury news on Wednesday. 

Starting cornerback Kader Kohou will miss the entire 2025 season with a knee injury, coach Mike McDaniel said in his press conference before practice on Wednesday. 

“I was crushed until I talked to Kader,” McDaniel said. “Honestly, Kader made me feel a little bit better about where he was at simply by his mindset.” 

Kohou went down at practice last Saturday after a 1-on-1 rep against Tyreek Hill. He immediately grabbed his knee when he went to the ground. 

Kohou came into the summer as the team’s only assumed starting cornerback. The former UDFA was slated to be the Dolphins’ top cornerback this season after starting 38 games across the last three seasons. 

This is a massive blow for the Dolphins’ secondary, which has been dealing with a bunch of other injuries. 

Cornerback Artie Burns suffered a torn ACL earlier in camp, cornerback BJ Adams was injured in a collision, safety Ifeatu Melifonwu has yet to practice, and rookie safety Dante Trader Jr. is on a pitch count with the hope he’s ready for joint practices. 

The team is also dealing with a new injury to safety Ashtyn Davis, who went down with an injury following practice on Tuesday. Davis suffered a non-contact injury to his left leg, but it’s not the worst, and he won’t be out for the season, McDaniel said. 

“With non-contact, you’re always prepared for the worst,” McDaniel said. “However, we were fortunate that it wasn’t the worst. That being said, it will take the next couple of days to see how long [he’s out for].”

The Dolphins might’ve dodged a bullet on Davis’ status, but losing Kohou for the season is a massive blow. The team already added multiple veteran cornerbacks last week — Mike Hilton, Jack Jones, and Cornell Armstrong — but they might need to add another. 

Hilton and Jones were the most likely players to start alongside Kohou. Hilton will likely still anchor the slot, and Jones seems slated to be the team’s CB1 on the outside. That leaves a cornerback spot open for players like Storm Duck, Cam Smith, Ethan Bonner, and Isaiah Johnson. 

The Dolphins were rumored to be heavily interested in former Buffalo Bills cornerback Rasul Douglas before signing Hilton and Jones. The Dolphins had a standing offer out to Douglas, so it’ll be interesting to see if that offer goes up with Kohou’s injury. 

McDaniel said the team is looking at the group they already have in the building, but left the door open for the team to sign another veteran. 

Regardless of whether Miami adds a veteran or sticks with the younger players, Kohou was the team’s best cornerback. Losing the best player in a room that already lacks reliable depth is one of the worst-case preseason injuries for this team.