Jalen Ramsey injury highlights importance of Dolphins' cornerback depth

MIAMI GARDENS — Jalen Ramsey left on a golf cart at the end of the Dolphins' second training camp practice.

Ramsey had his left knee attended to by trainers after he was tangled up defending a pass play and began to limp.

"Everybody's really worried about him," safety Jevon Holland said after practice. "We're not really sure what's wrong with him."

Ramsey was to undergo knee surgery Friday afternoon and is unlikely to return early in the regular season, coach Mike McDaniel said.

Ramsey suffered a non-contact injury to his meniscus late in Thursday's practice. He had not experienced any prior issues with the knee, McDaniel said.

The length of his rehabilitation depends on what doctors find during the procedure, McDaniel said.

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Ramsey is one of the best defensive players in the NFL.

With Ramsey paired with Xavien Howard, Miami may have the best cornerback duo in the NFL. Without either, the Dolphins are nowhere near as dangerous.

But — the Dolphins do have excellent depth at cornerback.

At one point in Thursday’s practice, Ramsey broke up a long pass from Tua Tagovailoa.

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But in that same practice, Kader Kohou, who emerged as a starter last season, intercepted a pass by Tagovailoa intended for Tyreek Hill.

"I just slipped underneath the route," Kohou said after.

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Kohou finished last season with a casted hand and wants to surpass the one regular-season interception he posted. Kohou was one of the top cover corners in the league by some metrics.

"I think we're deeper than last year," said Kohou, who could start at slot corner or could start on the outside if Ramsey or Howard were to be injured.

Kohou was an undrafted success story as a rookie. But Miami still signed Ramsey and drafted Cam Smith, from South Carolina, in Round 2 in April.

"Jalen's mentality, like he practices like it's a game," Kohou said. "He's ultra-competitive. And that's one thing I probably feel I need to get to. I feel he's competitive in the meeting room, he's competitive when you see him walk around the facility, just got that look to him."

Smith has shown a lot of promise, though he was beaten by Braxton Berrios for a long touchdown on Thursday.

Miami also has Keion Crossen, Noah Igbinoghene, Bryce Thompson and Justin Bethel as depth. And Nik Needham will compete for snaps once he's cleared to practice and play.

On Thursday though, the Dolphins were holding their breath, hoping Ramsey's apparent injury was not too serious.

Joe Schad is a journalist at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jschad@pbpost.com and follow him on Instagram and Twitter @schadjoe. Sign up for Joe's free weekly Dolphins Pulse Newsletter. Help support our work by subscribing.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jalen Ramsey injury has Miami Dolphins concerned at training camp