Dolphins get bad news on Jalen Ramsey, who's about as irreplaceable as it gets | Habib

MIAMI GARDENS — The day, eye-opening as it was, won’t even qualify as a blip on anyone’s radar when the season begins. Still, right around the time they were to wheel Jalen Ramsey into the operating room Friday, the Dolphins’ defense responded to that gut punch with a sucker punch of its own.

As team drills began, the defense got a sack. Then another and another and another. The onslaught didn’t stop until the practice did, with the unofficial count being somewhere in the neighborhood of a dozen — a dirty dozen — times Miami’s quarterbacks would have gone down if actual tackling were allowed.

That’s one way for Vic Fangio’s defense to make up for the loss, but we all know that sooner or later, instead of the front seven, the Dolphins’ secondary will have to hold up its end of the bargain until Ramsey can debut. There’s no immediate word on when that might be.

When coach Mike McDaniel addressed reporters Friday morning, he said that any guesstimate on a timetable is nothing but a guess. Doctors wouldn’t know until they operate. Later in the day came bad news: NFL Network reported that Ramsey's knee required a full repair, keeping him out until December.

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Let’s not sugarcoat this.

If you’re making a list of the most irreplaceable players on the Dolphins, you won’t be naming many names before you get to Jalen Ramsey, a three-time All-Pro cornerback.

“Jalen is a phenomenal player, the best corner in the league,” said Noah Igbinoghene, whose playing time could increase while Ramsey recuperates.

You can't easily replace a Jalen Ramsey

As for the irreplaceables, taking into account the positions players play, their skills and who’s backing them up, it’s reasonable to think of Tua Tagovailoa and Terron Armstead and — who, exactly? — before you list Ramsey. That’s no disrespect to Tyreek Hill. The Dolphins hope they’ll never have to test this theory, but as long as they have a 1,356-yard receiver in Jaylen Waddle, the offense could still function.

But a secondary with one elite cornerback (Xavien Howard) in this passing era? The Dolphins did get by without Byron Jones all of 2022. Coordinator Josh Boyer didn’t.

Plus, aspirations for 2023 are considerably higher than one-and-done in the postseason. They shot up in no small part when general manager Chris Grier pulled off the trade to acquire Ramsey from the Los Angeles Rams, a deal that still looks solid. For one thing, Ramsey doesn’t have an injury past. He had missed just six games in seven NFL seasons.

While we’re on the subject of crediting Grier, who out there today is asking “another cornerback?” in response to Grier making Cam Smith his top draft pick this past spring? Didn’t think so. (And don’t forget picking up undrafted rookie Kader Kohou last year. As Waddle raced to the end zone Friday, all Kohou did was close as the ball was in the air, then break up what would have been a touchdown.)

Even without playing a single snap in aqua and orange, Ramsey was having an impact. Bradley Chubb is a Pro Bowl linebacker, yet Friday, he said he considers Ramsey a team leader. Ramsey displayed those qualities shortly after going down, untouched, and being carted off the practice field Thursday. Ramsey then addressed the team to raise spirits.

“Everybody just rallied around it,” Chubb said.

McDaniel added, “It really moved a lot of people.”

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The Dolphins can use it. They’ll face Justin Herbert, Russell Wilson, Josh Allen, Daniel Jones and Jalen Hurts — and that's just in the first seven weeks of the season. Soon after, there’s some guy named Mahomes.

If the first thing Dolphins fans wish now is to have Ramsey back yesterday, the second wish might be to know if a quick recovery might be possible. Meniscus injuries are all over the board that way. Some can be “cleaned up” but some require extensive repairs, like this one.

Late in the 2018 season, Howard injured his meniscus. There was speculation he might return quickly. He missed the final three games of the regular season … but still was named to his first Pro Bowl.

Running back Raheem Mostert tore his while with the 49ers. He pretty much missed the 2021 season. But he ran for 891 yards last year with the Dolphins.

In 2021, Dolphins defensive tackle Tony McDaniel tore his meniscus in the second preseason game but was a full go by Week 5 and later was voted winner of the Ed Block Courage Award by teammates.

Finally, one week out before linebacker Zach Thomas enters the Pro Football Hall of Fame, it bears mentioning that in mid-July 2004, Thomas underwent arthroscopic surgery on the meniscus in his left knee. He was starting in Week 1.

So Friday, a day when Dolphins' defensive players could have come to work feeling down, they instead had one of the most dominant performances in recent memory.

“It’s how we responded to it,” Chubb said. “Whenever you lose a key player like that, guys might get down.”

Or they might let Ramsey know they heard him, loud and clear.

Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at  hhabib@pbpost.com and followed on Twitter  @gunnerhal.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Jalen Ramsey injury means rest of Miami Dolphins defense must step up