Dolphins eye projected $45 million Chargers free agent to replace Jalen Ramsey

The cornerback position has been a major question mark for the Miami Dolphins this offseason.

While the Dolphins did address the need during the 2025 NFL Draft, the addition came late — in the fifth round with the selection of Florida’s Jason Marshall.

"The Dolphins went into the draft knowing this was a need, but their decision-makers believed this was an especially deep group of corners and that they could find a gem or two if they waited until the later rounds," ESPN’s Mike Graziano wrote. "Miami likes Marshall a lot and believes it might have gotten good value where it drafted him due to the injury issues that limited him in his final college season."

Still, Marshall only scratches the surface of what Miami needs at the position. The Dolphins are lacking veteran depth at cornerback — especially with uncertainty surrounding Jalen Ramsey, who could be a trade or cut candidate.

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That speculation grew when ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that multiple teams have shown interest in Ramsey. Meanwhile, the Dolphins appear to be exploring outside options of their own.

According to the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson, Miami has expressed interest in former Los Angeles Chargers cornerback Asante Samuel Jr., who is recovering from neck surgery.

"The Dolphins — who are trying to trade Pro Bowl cornerback Jalen Ramsey — have not made an offer to Samuel and have not brought him in for a visit, a source said," Jackson reported. "But the Dolphins have conveyed interest and said they want to keep tabs on his recovery from neck surgery and want to remain in touch. If something materializes with the Dolphins and Samuel, it likely would happen in July."

Samuel played in just four games last season, limited by a shoulder injury. However, ESPN’s Matt Bowen recently noted that a healthy Samuel would be a strong schematic fit in Miami’s defense.

"When healthy, Samuel has a playmaking mentality at cornerback and uses sudden closing speed to break on the ball," Bowen wrote. "That fits in a Miami defense that played Cover 2 on 27.3% of opponent dropbacks last season, the fourth most in the league. Samuel has the traits to pattern match in man, too."

Should the Dolphins sign Samuel, his market value is projected to be four-years, $45.8 million, per Spotrac.