MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. — As Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey was prepping for surgery that’s expected to keep him out of the season’s first three months, Noah Igbinoghene was settling into his role as a called-up understudy.
Igbinoghene has gotten chance after chance to prove the Dolphins were right to take him in Round 1 of the 2020 NFL Draft.
But there’s reason to believe that this time around, he’ll seize that opportunity.
Jalen Ramsey Out, Noah Igbinoghene In for Miami Dolphins
First, the news — the surgery to repair Ramsey’s damaged left meniscus was more extensive than he, the team, and its fans had hoped.
NFL Network was the first to report that Ramsey — arguably the NFL’s best cornerback — needed the full repair. That procedure comes with a lengthy rehab, with his targeted return to action not until December.
The news was, of course, a body blow to an organization that should be used to them by now. Injuries — particularly in the secondary — derailed a promising 2022 season.
That’s why they not only traded for Ramsey this offseason but also drafted Cam Smith in the second round.
But don’t sleep on Igbinoghene, the former first-round pick who looks as good as he has at any point in his four-year career.
His secret to success? Not caring — at least about the things he did in the past.
“My mentality has changed drastically,” Igbinoghene said. “I’ve learned a lot. There’s been ups and downs in my past, but like now, the mentality is, ‘I’m not really worried about the past anymore. I’m focused on the now.'”
“Coach Mike McDaniel says it a lot that we just need to focus on the now and not worry about what happened in the past and not even worry about the future, just focus on today,” he continued. “So I’m just focused on how I can get better today; how I can get better than I was yesterday today. Don’t worry about what anybody else has going on. This is not a competition. This is not me vs. another guy. Because if I have that mentality so much — I’m not saying it’s not good to compete — but I feel like the mentality that you just need to focus on just for me how I talk to myself now, I just need to focus on what I need to focus on now, and me doing the best I can.
“And if I do that, if I put my best foot forward — I know I’m talented. I know God has given me a lot of capabilities, that’s gonna work out for itself.”
Proof that Igbinoghene means what he says? When a reporter asked him what it meant to get first-team reps Friday, he basically replied with a shrug emoji.
He’s focusing more on process than results.
That’s a sign of maturity from a guy who hasn’t already exhibited since entering the league as a 20-year-old in 2020.
It’s wild to think that Igbinoghene is still one of the youngest corners on Miami’s roster. It feels like he’s been here forever. And while his first two seasons were rocky — he allowed four touchdowns on 34 targets in 2020 and 2021 — he was a much-improved player in Year 3.
Last year, Igbinoghene allowed just 52.2% of passes thrown his way to be completed, with just 6.2 yards surrendered per target.
“Sometimes in life, you need some crisis, sometimes to really make you come out of that to really make you grow and make you see what you need to be focused on,” Igbinoghene said.
“I would say at that time, there was a lot I didn’t know. I was young. I was very young. I’m still young now, but at that time, I was 20 years old, and … it was a type of way I was living in college that I was able to play at a high level in college, doing those things and having those values.”
He added, “But when I got into the league, those standards and those values didn’t really correlate over too much. And that’s why I wasn’t doing too well my first couple of years. But I needed that to happen. I needed that crisis to happen to my life so that now I can come out of that and be who I am now.”