How good will combination of Ramsey and Howard at cornerback be for Dolphins? | Countdown to camp

Joe Cavaretta/South Florida Sun-Sentinel/TNS

With the 2023 NFL season fast approaching, the South Florida Sun Sentinel ends our look at 10 storylines to watch for ahead of the Miami Dolphins’ first day of training camp, which is set for Wednesday.

The Dolphins’ acquisition of elite cornerback Jalen Ramsey maybe didn’t snag the national headlines that quarterback Aaron Rodgers going to the New York Jets did, but it could just as easily be the more impactful move in the AFC East.

The Dolphins, a playoff team in 2022, had to address the cornerback position in the offseason to improve beyond that. And they went right to the top in trading with the Los Angeles Rams for the six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro cornerback.

In a year of injury issues at the position, the Dolphins defense finished the past regular season 30th in takeaways, 27th in pass defense and 24th in scoring defense and third-down defense. A change in defensive coordinator from Josh Boyer, who didn’t step up when given the keys to the defense after time under former coach Brian Flores, to the coveted, wise, experienced Vic Fangio should also help turn much of that around.

But bringing in Ramsey immediately catapults the Dolphins’ cornerback unit and secondary overall into the conversation as one of the league’s best heading into the 2023 season and the start of training camp, which begins with veterans reporting Tuesday and Wednesday’s first practice.

Ramsey is now paired with Xavien Howard, who has four Pro Bowls of his own in Miami but needs to bounce back from an uneven 2022 season.

How good could that duo be? They could very well be the NFL’s top tandem, up there with Darius Slay and James Bradberry IV of the Philadelphia Eagles, Trevon Diggs and Stephon Gilmore of the Dallas Cowboys, JC Jackson and Asante Samuel Jr. of the L.A. Chargers or maybe the Jets’ Sauce Gardner and D.J. Reed or any other combination one wants to throw out there.

“We’re trying to be the best,” Ramsey said back at his introductory press conference with the Dolphins in March. “We aren’t trying to really worry about comparing ourselves with anybody else. We’re trying to be ourselves. We’ve had some success in our individual careers up until this point. We’re planning to have more success now together in the same secondary as a duo.”

Said Howard a month later: “I love it. I feel like we’re definitely going to push each other and push everybody in the secondary, the whole defense, I’d say. They’re going to start with us. I love it. I’m looking forward to competing.”

Ramsey brings versatility to the Dolphins secondary after playing in a “star” role that doesn’t restrict him to locking down one side of the field as a boundary corner, but he can also cover the slot, line up at safety, blitz from different spots and more. With the Rams, Ramsey played in a similar scheme to what Fangio is bringing to Miami.

Howard is coming off a rough season by his standards, even though it did result in his fourth Pro Bowl selection — one he even acknowledged was probably more off reputation than his play last season. Some of the coverage issues he ran into could be attributed to playing through groin injuries, which often hinder a player’s ability to run full speed. More zone coverages under Fangio, as opposed to the man-heavy coverages of Boyer, could help Howard conserve his legs and may also let him go back to being a ballhawk with eyes on the quarterback.

Dolphins cornerbacks coach Sam Madison, part of his own great duo in his playing days in Miami with Patrick Surtain, is excited about the possibilities but knows their performance has to transcend what the duo has on paper.

“You’ve always had very good tandems at cornerback, but when it comes down to it, they’ve got to go out there and they have to play, just like we did,” Madison said. “They can be whatever they want to be, but it’s going to take work. It’s going to take hard work. It’s going to take dedication and they’ve got to go out there and perform the best way they know how. Then go out there and impose their will each and every week.”

The addition of Ramsey takes a little bit of pressure off every returning Miami cornerback. Howard doesn’t have to be the No. 1 week in and week out. The Dolphins had undrafted rookie Kader Kohou rise to the starting ranks last year, but he can now compete with Nik Needham for nickel corner duties in Year 2. Needham, who was placed on the active/physically unable to perform list before the beginning of training camp, has backup if he needs time to get back in a rhythm coming off last season’s torn Achilles. The same for Trill Williams after missing his second NFL season with an ACL tear. Rookie second-round pick Cam Smith doesn’t have to be thrown into the fire. And veteran special teamers Keion Crossen and Justin Bethel won’t get thrown into cornerback snaps unless multiple injuries pop up again.