Ramsey Ready for Return to Normal

The Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey is excited about what's in store for the 2024 season

Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver talks to cornerback Jalen Ramsey (5) during mandatory minicamp at Baptist Health Training Complex. / Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports

Jalen Ramsey didn't take the bait during his post-practice media session Wednesday when the topic turned to Miami Dolphins defensive coordinator.

Ramsey was among those players who clearly weren't fans of Vic Fangio before he left and was replaced by Anthony Weaver, but he resisted the temptation to take a shot.

“I’m not going to compare them," Ramsey said. "I’m not going to sit here and do that. Y’all can do that on your own, but I think (Weaver is) a great coach. I think he’s a good hire. I think he’ll put guys in position to do really good things and show their whole skill sets. That’s fun ... it makes the game fun.”

RAMSEY READY TO RETURN TO OLD ROLE

Ramsey's answer did include a tell, however, the line about Weaver putting "guys in position to do really good things." For Ramsey, that means moving around in the secondary and sometimes being used to shadow an opponent's top receiver.

There was practically none of that last season — some shadow coverage of the Jets' Garrett Wilson was the notable exception — and Ramsey says it's going to change in 2024. And that has him psyched.

“Those are things that I’ve done throughout my whole career besides last year," Ramsey said. "Last year was the only time I didn’t follow and only stayed on one side of the field. So last year was kind of a different year for me rather than this being different. This is like back to what I do, back to where I thrive and made impact and have a lot of fun playing the game.”

KNEE INJURY NOT WORTH MENTIONING FOR RAMSEY

Ramsey did make enough of an impact last season to earn a Pro Bowl invitation, as a starter no less, despite missing the first seven games of the season as he recovered from a training camp knee injury.

Ramsey said that injury is in the past, dismissing a question about his health and whether he was back to full health when he returned last season.

 “I mean if I didn’t feel good, I wouldn’t have played last year," Ramsey said. “I mean I played and I was a Pro Bowler, so I did pretty well.”

Yes, Ramsey indeed did pretty well. He could do even better in 2024 with a full season and used in a variety of ways in the secondary to take advantage of his obvious skills.

In the meantime, Ramsey is preparing for a new season like he's always done.

“Just the basics, same old same old," he said. "This is Year 9 for me, I know what it takes to be successful. We’ve got a new defense, just focusing on making sure I know the new defense and know all the positions in the defense. That’s it.”

Ramsey will have a new starting partner next season, with Kendall Fuller replacing Xavien Howard. The three of them all came into the NFL in 2016.

“’X’ (Xavien Howard) is always going to be my dude," Ramsey said. "That’s my guy. I wish he could still be a part of the team. Business is business, I understand it, but I’m always rooting for him. Arguably the best corner in Dolphins history, so that’s my guy. But me and Kendall go way back to like high school, so that’s my guy too. It’ll be fun teaming up with him.”

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