The Miami Dolphins might as well file for trademark rights on the word injury. It follows them around like humidity in South Florida. Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has carried the label for years. Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips can’t stay upright at the same time. Terron Armstead’s availability was a question mark since the day he signed. Even second-rounder Cam Smith has been more ghost story than cornerback.

And just when you think the curse might finally lift, it strikes again. This summer, the secondary has been gutted before the season even begins. Jalen Ramsey shipped out. Kendall Fuller, gone. Jevon Holland, chasing free‑agency money. Jordan Poyer is still unsigned. Now the guys left behind are dropping too. It feels like every time the Dolphins take a step forward, another player limps backwards.

The secondary has been a carousel of setbacks all camp long – first Artie Burns, then whispers about Kader Kohou’s knee, and now Ashtyn Davis wobbling off practice on crutches. It’s a bad rerun Miami fans didn’t ask for. Head coach Mike McDaniel confirmed for Davis. The update wasn’t all doom. McDaniel explained: “We were fortunate that it wasn’t the worst. That being said, it will take the next couple of days… It wasn’t the thing that keeps you the whole season.” Still, Davis was spotted with a boot and crutches after leaving drills, so the Dolphins are crossing fingers while they wait.

This is the same Davis who signed a one-year, $3 million deal in March to bring depth to Miami’s back end. That depth is evaporating fast. With Kohou out, Artie Burns gone, and Davis in limbo, McDaniel might need more than just optimism. He needs veterans like Mike Hilton to step into an oversized role – because at this rate, the Dolphins’ defense looks more like a triage unit than a secondary.

Mike McDaniel confirms season-ending blow for Kader Kohou

As for Kohou, it’s the worst: season-ending injured reserve. Kohou, arguably Miami’s top cornerback, is done for the year with a knee injury. McDaniel admitted he was crushed, but said Kohou’s mindset softened the blow: “I was crushed until I talked to Kader and honestly Kader made me feel a little bit better simply because of his mindset,” McDaniel explained.

That mindset might be all the Dolphins can lean on right now. Kohou was the one stable piece in a secondary already shredded by turnover. An undrafted success story, he had started 38 games in his first three seasons and became the glue guy when bigger names fell apart. Losing him doesn’t just hurt the scheme. It wipes out the only proven continuity on the roster.

Miami’s cornerback depth chart now reads like a preseason flyer: Jack Jones, Storm Duck, Cam Smith, Kendall Sheffield. Talented but unproven. Athletic but inconsistent. Throw in rookies like Jason Marshall and depth pieces like Isaiah Johnson, and McDaniel’s message about ‘consistency and dependability’ starts sounding less like coach-speak and more like wishful thinking. At some point, the Dolphins will have to stop waiting for bodies to return and actually build a defense that can win playoff games. Until then, injuries remain the one thing Miami leads the league in.