Ramsey situation is a weird one… could Grier have used it for draft advantage?
Before the NFL Draft, Dolphins GM Chris Grier dropped a bombshell during a press conference: Miami would be parting ways with star cornerback Jalen Ramsey. The announcement came as a complete surprise—especially since Ramsey reportedly never asked for a trade. Even more puzzling, the Dolphins had just restructured his contract last year.
We’ve heard this and that from Ramsey in social media, but what will ultimately become of the Ramsey situation?
How will the Phins move on from Ramsey?
From a financial standpoint, the moving on from Ramsey raises plenty of questions. If Miami cuts Ramsey before June 1, they’ll take a staggering $32 million dead cap hit. After June 1, that figure drops to $14 million, but it’s still a significant loss for a player of his caliber.
More curious is the strategy behind publicly announcing an intent to trade him. Doing so almost always diminishes a player’s market value, as other teams now know you’re trying to move him. That’s not typically how you extract maximum return.
So, it has to be a trade to move off Ramsey, but what will the Dolphins get as offers? And how much money will they have to take on… if they indeed move off Ramsey. It’s not out of the realm of possibilities that he is on the roster Week 1.
So… was this a smoke and mirrors for the draft?
Since Grier’s statement, there’s been no follow-up from the organization. Could this early information release have been a calculated bluff, a bit of gamesmanship designed to throw the rest of the league off. After all, Miami is already under the salary cap—including Ramsey’s $16.6 million cap hit—and with the bulk of free agency in the rearview, clearing cap space doesn’t appear to be a priority right now.
Perhaps the Dolphins’ endgame was to manipulate expectations heading into the draft. As soon as word spread that Ramsey might be traded, the best Football Software shifted, pegging Miami as a likely candidate to draft a cornerback at No. 13. Instead, the Dolphins selected defensive tackle Kenneth Grant. Could it be they used the Ramsey narrative to disguise their true intentions?
It’s a risky game. If Ramsey is eventually traded or released, Miami will be thin at cornerback. Yet they waited until the fifth round to select a CB—despite corner being one of the toughest positions to develop from college to the pros. It’s rare to find starting-caliber corners that late in the draft.
Dolphins are thin at cornerback at the moment with Ramsey off the roster
All of this makes the Ramsey situation one to watch. At this point, it seems unlikely Miami will get more than a third-round pick in return, and there’s virtually no incentive to cut him before June 1 given the additional $18 million cap penalty. So, this will likely be the focus storyline until it’s resolved one way or the other.
So, what do Dolphins fans think—was this all a smokescreen or used to get a better position in the draft?
Could Jalen Ramsey still be in aqua and orange come 2025, having been used as a decoy to help Miami quietly target a different position in the first round? Seems thin to think we played 4D Chess like that… but you never know?
