Conversations between Jalem Ramsey and Xavien Howard about the impact they both can have on the field for the Miami Dolphins are not new. In fact, they’ve been going on since before the organization acquired the first one last offseason.
Now that the duo has been able to fulfill the goal of sharing the field, the Dolphins and their fans have begun to understand that these were not just words or promises. Miami has been reaping the fruits of the labor of a pair of veterans who have always demonstrated their individual value, but who have now taken everything to the next level with their collective performance.
“He is a great companion”Ramsey told The Associated Press about Howard. “Obviously, he’s been elite in this league for as long as I have. It’s great to be able to team up with him. He teaches me new techniques that I haven’t tried or that I’ve put at the back of my toolbox and he’s made it happen.” come out. It’s been incredible. We challenge each other,” he added.
The Dolphins acquired Ramsey in a trade with the Rams in March and his impact has been immediate, even after an injury sidelined him for the first seven games of this season.
“I’ve never seen someone with an injury lasting months, not weeks, be so involved with the team,” coach Mike McDaniel said of Ramsey who continued to encourage his teammates during practices and games in his absence.
For his part, Howard, an eight-year veteran with Miami, is coming off a weak 2022 in which he was punished by physical problems, but has regained his usual rhythm in this competition. The player acknowledged that during the past offseason he had to begin the process of adjusting to a new defensive system under area coordinator Vic Fangio.
“I have to get used to that,” Howard admitted in August. “It’s totally different”.
But Ramsey and Howard have managed to move forward and lead Miami to a promising position.
In one of the many conversations between the two, Ramsey remembers telling Howard that his team had the pieces and the potential to be better than the Los Angeles troop he helped win the Super Bowl in 2021.
“You put this Miami team on paper, you look at our roster, and there are a lot of similarities. So we have the ability to be that,” he said.
