MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — Star cornerback Jalen Ramsey has a real chance to make his Miami Dolphins debut Sunday — nearly three months to the day after he suffered a meniscus injury that some thought would cost him the season.
On Monday, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel acknowledged the possibility that Ramsey would play Sunday against the New England Patriots. The six-time Pro Bowler is expected to take first-team reps in practice beginning Wednesday after being named the scout team’s top player last week.
But McDaniel made it very clear that he’s putting no pressure on Ramsey to play this week — and that the dynamic DB will only do so if he’s completely ready.
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Injury Update for Miami Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey
Ramsey had surgery to repair a damaged meniscus after getting hurt on the second day of training camp. Ramsey has blown away all projected rehab timelines and participated in practice for the first time since July last week.
MORE: Miami Dolphins Depth Chart
“There hasn’t been any sort of setbacks or anything; there’s no concern,” McDaniel said here Monday.
“You have a process that you go through, and you don’t try to get ahead of yourself,” he continued. “So you don’t rush the process. He’s done such an unbelievable job in getting to this point that you don’t want to, you know, nonsensically just force the issue. You want him on the field as fast as possible; you have to do right by the team and the player.”
If it is this week, Ramsey’s return couldn’t be better timed.
The Dolphins were without cornerback Xavien Howard Sunday against the Eagles due to a groin injury, and free safety Jevon Holland is in the concussion protocol after suffering a head injury Sunday night.
“It gets overwhelming to try to predict the future in terms of what’s right and what’s wrong,” McDaniel said. “It’s a little out of my expertise. And that’s why you literally have to take it day to day, so you can go, ‘OK, today we know we can assess X amount of reps.’ You get those reps, and then you get the feedback.
“You don’t want to create a scenario where a player is saying, ‘OK, well, I’m gonna go play in this game,’ and then all of a sudden something maybe they can feel that we can’t test, now all of a sudden, maybe they, because of obligation to what they said they were going to do, they start making decisions for the wrong reasons.
“So you fight tooth and nail not to pinpoint, OK? This game.’ So that you can, you know, protect people from themselves as well as make it about something that it shouldn’t be.
“We’re not getting him back to play a certain game. We’re getting him back to play football the way he knows how to play football, to do right by him as a player and by the team and make sure that that’s a long-term solution, not a short-term.”