Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel appears to not want to talk about potential Ramsey trade

Miami Herald

5 days ago

The Jalen Ramsey-Miami Dolphins debacle has almost reached its conclusion.
June 1 serves as Ramsey's proverbial freedom day as the Dolphins will finally be able to trade the All-Pro cornerback without taking a $8 million cap hit. A post-June 1 deal, however, would open up about $10 million in cap space.
And as the deadline approaches, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel appears less and less willing to talk about it.
'I'm interested in the players that I'm coaching on the field today,' McDaniel said Wednesday, adding that 'zero has changed since the last time I said anything about' him. 'It's irresponsible [not] to focus on the players working now and concern myself with that.'
This comes roughly 24 hours after Ramsey tweeted '5...,' seemingly calling attention to the number of days until he can be traded.
The Dolphins-Ramsey saga dates back to mid-April when news broke that both sides mutually agreed to trade the star cornerback. It's unclear what led to the decision, however, general manager Chris Grier made it known that Ramsey didn't ask for a trade or more money.
'It's never easy to replace a player like Jalen,' Grier said April 15. 'He was a good player for us. He's a good player, he'll probably be a Hall of Famer, but for the Miami Dolphins going forward, we feel like this is the best chance to help us win not only just this year, but in the future as well.'
When asked about their relationship following the conclusion of the 2025 NFL Draft, McDaniel somewhat avoided the question.
'I think speaking on the relationship with Jalen on this forum kind of undercuts what I think is important today which is we've added a class and are continuing to add new players to the 2025 Dolphins,' McDaniel said April 26. 'And I think beyond that, it wouldn't do justice to these draft picks and what we're trying to do today.'
Since then, the Dolphins and Ramsey have been at a stalemate of sorts. Sure, teams like the Los Angeles Rams, a team which the seven-time Pro Bowler helped lead to Super Bowl 56, have indicated interest but nothing has yet to materialize.
'I've had discussions with Miami,' Rams general manager Les Snead said April 22, later adding that 'there are a lot of nuances to that situation based on all the things that come with a trade, contracts and things like that. I'm not sure where they're at in the process.'
Rams coach Sean McVay appeared excited when Adam Schein of SiriusXM's Mad Dog Sports Radio asked about the possibility of a Ramsey reunion.
'He is a total stud, and you look at, obviously he has continued to play at a really high level,' McVay said, according to Rams Wire. The veteran coach added that the team will never 'shy away from opportunities to increase the competitiveness of our roster or add great players as long as it fits within the framework of everything that an acquisition like that would entail.'
With Ramsey likely soon out the door, the question then becomes who will be his replacement. The Dolphins previously let go veteran cornerback Kendall Fuller in January and signed Artie Burns, Kendall Sheffield Jr. and Ryan Cooper Jr. in addition to their selection of Jason Marshall Jr. in the 2025 NFL Draft. Outside of Kader Kohou, who primarily plays in the nickel, the cornerback room lacks recent full-time starter experience as players such as Cam Smith, Stom Duck, Ethan Bonner, Ethan Robinson and BJ Adams round it out.