Dolphins could turn to other Vic Fangio favorites after Jalen Ramsey injury

The Miami Dolphins made a couple of moves in the 2023 offseason that could be considered some of the biggest and arguably most underrated out of any moves made by any team in 2023. The Dolphins’ more highly-publicized move was, of course, trading for former All-Pro and Pro. Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey. The Dolphins seemingly got a great deal from the Los Angeles Rams, sending tight end Hunter Long and a third-round pick in exchange for Ramsey.

But that move was not nearly as impactful of a move for Miami than the team’s decision to hire Vic Fangio, who took the 2022 season off after being fired by the Denver Broncos, as the team’s newest defensive coordinator. Fangio is one of the best defensive schemers and coaches in the entire NFL, and his ability to scheme a defense against modern offenses only gets better with age.

Fangio is extremely old-school, but he’s never behind the times when it comes to calling defenses to keep up with today’s offenses. Ramsey was obviously supposed to be a centerpiece for Fangio’s defense, but there are others still available that can take Ramsey’s place now with the very unfortunate news that he’s going to miss a bunch of time due to injury.

Some reports are saying 6-8 weeks, some are saying he could be out until December…We’ll see Jalen Ramsey when we see him. The timeline is long enough that the Miami Dolphins might want to consider bringing in some additional help at a position that is valued incredibly highly in Fangio’s defense. While he was with the Denver Broncos, Fangio once stated that in the NFL today, there are essentially 96 “starting” cornerbacks with how often teams utilize the nickel. He said there aren’t 96 guys out there quality enough to fill those spots. So, the more corners you can have, the better.

We saw the Denver Broncos put their money where Fangio’s mouth was year after year he was with the team. The Broncos spent big money on free agents like Ronald Darby, Bryce Callahan, and Kyle Fuller, and they also used a first-round pick in 2021 on Pat Surtain II.

It just so happens that a number of those guys are still available in 2023 as training camp is underway for all 32 NFL teams. Specifically, Darby, Callahan, and Fuller are all free agents currently, and all of those players could help add depth to the Dolphins’ secondary, to a degree.

Darby is coming off of a season-ending knee injury and is often an injury risk, but he is probably the best candidate on paper to “replace” Ramsey for the time being. Bryce Callahan is coming off of his best year as a pro with 15 games played and a career-high three interceptions.

Don’t be surprised to see the Dolphins turn to one of these Fangio favorites (or multiple of them) to try and supplement their depth at a critical position.