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Jaylen Waddle Shares Thoughts on Dolphins’ Depleted Secondary

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Coby Leibowitz | Last updated Jun 16, 2025 11:45 AM ET

The Miami Dolphins filled a lot of holes on their roster this offseason, including the offensive and defensive lines as well as their safety group. The only spot left to address is their cornerback room. Star cornerback Jalen Ramsey has asked to be traded, and the organization has commented that they are working towards finding Ramsey a new home. Miami added some depth to their cornerback room, but without Ramsey, they lack experience and a true lockdown cornerback.

This has left questions of whether the Dolphins will have to trade or sign another cornerback, and how the secondary will look in the absence of Ramsey. Well, for any of those still wondering, Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle made some positive remarks about how the secondary has been looking so far in minicamp in Carter Bahns' of CBS Sports recent article.

He starts by saying that Ramsey is not attending minicamp while the Dolphins try to find him a new home. Without Ramsey, it is a young group of inexperienced corners, and someone who goes up against them every day in practice had a lot of good things to say about the group.

Waddle said, "They look extremely good," Waddle said, via ESPN. "I'm not going to lie to y'all, they are making it tough on the receivers. They're playing true to their technique. I think they're doing a good job of taking what they do in individual drills to when we go into team drills. We're going to need them to step up and be key for us. I'm happy that they are doing extremely good."

This is exactly what you wanna hear from one of the best receivers in the NFL about the secondary with the most question marks in the league. The Dolphins' secondary is not bad; it is just unproven, and it sounds like they are getting ready to prove themselves. With their backs against the wall, there is a real opportunity for some of these guys to make a name for themselves.

Bahns then goes through an analysis of the current Dolphins cornerback situation. Kader Kohou is the only returning starter from last season, and he started in nine games last year. The Dolphins signed Artie Burns and Kendall Sheffield in the offseason ass well, but Bahns mentioned it has been a while since either of them were in full time starting roles.

Cam Smith and Ethan Bonner are both going into their third year with the organization, but neither of these players brings any experience as a starter. The rest of the room is rounded out by Isaiah Johnson, who was called up from the practice squad, Storm Duck, who is a second-year undrafted free agent, and Jason Marshall Jr., who the Dolphins drafted in the fifth round of this year's draft.

It is then explained that Miami needs two starting outside cornerbacks and a nickel cornerback, so at least one of the names mentioned with minimal starting experience is going to have to take on a larger role if the Dolphins are going to keep the room as it is. This is then followed by a quote from Isaiah Johnson on how he views the Dolphins' cornerback room from the inside.

He goes on to explain that "It's just a bunch of young guys who are hungry," Johnson said to ESPN. "We had some vets last year, we had some big names, and now, just like the league is, there's some turnover, and you've got some guys who are just ready to come and work every day. I think there's no reason to question it because nothing's been shown, and there's nothing to hate on right now. So everybody's here ready to work, ready to show and earn their stripes and ready to earn the fans' support."

This is then followed up by mentioning that the Dolphins had a top 10 pass defense, but this stat is in jeopardy of being repeated next year without Ramsey, who was the leader of this unit last season. The article ends by saying Ramsey's production took a fall this past season, and as he gets older, his play may start to diminish, so this could be the perfect time to move off of him.

The Dolphins may want to consider getting some more experience in that room. Whether that is by signing a free agent like Jaire Alexander or Asante Samuel Jr., or trading for a cornerback like Jamel Dean or Marshon Lattimore. However, the players they have now seem to be giving their all and are dedicated to showing the world that the Dolphins' secondary is not as bad as the media is making it out to be.

With all the young talent on the team, there is a chance that Ramsey's replacement could already be on the roster. With so much opportunity at the cornerback position for the Dolphins, it will be interesting to see which players take advantage of those opportunities. Jaylen Waddle says they are already off to a great start, and they still have training camp and preseason to get even better and be ready for this upcoming season.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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