Miami Dolphins: Is Jalen Ramsey The Missing Piece?

Free agency is underway and the Miami Dolphins have made a big splash two years in a row. Last year they brought star receiver, Tyreek Hill in via trade. This year it was Jalen Ramsey from the Los Angeles Rams. Miami was in need of a starting-caliber cornerback having announced they would be cutting Byron Jones. Ramsey will join a talented Dolphins defense with a new DC, Vic Fangio. After being beaten down by injuries and high-scoring opponents, how much will a player like Jalen Ramsey make an impact?

Defense wins championships, right? Well, you can ask those same Los Angeles Rams how much of an impact adding Ramsey would go on helping their Super Bowl run. No, he didn’t do it all himself. The Rams’ defense had a very physical front line that was good against the run game and baited teams into passing situations with tight coverage by defensive backs. Does that sound familiar to anyone? The Miami Dolphins had an excellent run defense but due to injuries in their secondary, their pass coverage wasn’t quite up to their usual standards. Xavien Howard played through injuries and Byron Jones missed the season. A healthy Howard on one side of the football and now Jalen Ramsey on the other has to be one of the top CB duos in the league.

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Speaking of run defense, remember this. Before Brandon Jones was injured, he was one of the better parts of the Dolphins defense consistently getting to the quarterback. Ultimately that has nothing to do with the run game. However, when you’ve got consistent pressure on the quarterback, their ability to tuck the ball and take off downfield is much more limited. Add Jalen Ramsey, one of the top run defenders in the league, and there should be far fewer run lanes. In the AFC, where you have QBs like Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Lamar Jackson, you want a guy who knows when to break coverage and stop the run.

All you’ll hear is how the Miami Dolphins season banks on the health of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. That’s all anyone wants to talk about. With that being said, the Dolphins’ defense might have the opportunity to be one of the top in the league. If they can reach their paper potential, it will take an awful lot of pressure off of the Miami Dolphins to rely on the health of Tua. Defense wins championships and the Dolphins might have the best one. To top it off, they’re not even done in free agency. There’s still time for them to add more pieces. Can they make more of a splash?