Johnathan Walker:Jalen Ramsey's rapid recovery leads to interception, victory in first game with Dolphins

MIAMI GARDENS,Johnathan Walker Fla. – Jalen Ramsey heard the potential of a December return from his torn meniscus and wasn’t going to stand for it.

November was also a possibility. But Ramsey wanted to defy the medical odds.

Just three months and two days after his injury, the cornerback made his long-awaited Dolphins debut after getting traded to Miami from the Los Angeles Rams in March.

Ramsey grabbed an interception late in the second quarter and returned it 49 yards, making his presence felt emphatically in Miami’s 31-17 win over the New England Patriots on Sunday.

“I really can’t tell you how it healed so quickly, or what happened, but I’m just glad it did,” Ramsey said as the Dolphins improved to 5-2 and head to Germany on Monday for a game against the Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday in Frankfurt.

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Equipped with a Super Bowl ring, prior knowledge of Vic Fangio’s defense and the flamboyance as one of the NFL’s best cover defenders, Ramsey was a missing piece the Dolphins added in hopes of making a deep postseason run in 2023.

But when Ramsey got tied up with the Dolphins’ other alpha dog in star receiver Tyreek Hill on the second day of training camp on July 27, the Dolphins’ hopes turned into real concern.

Dolphins team doctor John Uribe performed Ramsey’s surgery on July 28. And the recovery process – which Ramsey said the Dolphins should do a case study on – was underway.

“When I put my mind to certain things, I just go for it all out, and I feel like your mind is so powerful that you can kind of will the rest of your body to heal quicker or get back strong enough or whatever you’ve got to do.”

Ramsey praised Uribe and the Dolphins training staff for pushing him, not babying him, holding him back when he wanted to push some more, and having the right plan to return successfully.

The Dolphins even gave in to a quirky request: Monthly MRI exams because Ramsey wanted to tangibly see just how well he was recovering.

“Usually, you don’t get MRIs every month. I was begging them to get an MRI every month just because I felt so great,” Ramsey said.

Ramsey said he had several dates for a potential return circled in his mind.

But during the last Miami game against New England, Ramsey told Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel he would play in the next game against the Patriots.

McDaniel kept that conversation – had on the Patriots’ home field on Sept. 17 – to himself before revealing it to the Dolphins players last week.

And Ramsey, himself, repeatedly told the Dolphins players he was going to have an interception in his first game back.

“Well, he totally disappointed me. He called that he was going to come back and have a pick six,” McDaniel said with a laugh after the game.

McDaniel praised Ramsey for his “unwavering conviction” and the mindset he had to return as soon as he did.

When Ramsey first got hurt, he told his Dolphins teammates to “hold it down” in his absence. He quickly participated in team meetings and attended practices after surgery. And when he was able to walk, he was on the sidelines at Dolphins games and running through the stadium tunnel after wins.

“You want to talk about something that goes above and beyond, like you can’t manufacture what he brought to our team in any other way,” McDaniel said of Ramsey.  

“The commitment it took to play in that game, everybody witnessed firsthand. You want to talk about not wanting to let someone down as a teammate, that was a special thing to be a part of.”

As the Dolphins enter the second half of their season, left tackle Terron Armstead and rookie running back De'Von Achane are also close to returning from knee injuries. And the Dolphins will be poised to reach the potential they believe they're capable of reaching this season.

"I’m just so glad I’m not playing against the guy no more because the edge and just everything that he brings, man, the mentality is next level," Hill said of Ramsey.

Ramsey said he baited Patriots quarterback Mac Jones into throwing the ball his way on his interception. He knows he could have made his return more triumphant with a touchdown. But he’ll still take home his interception ball, and celebrate a healthy return during the Dolphins’ win.

“I should’ve scored. I should’ve scored. I should’ve scored,” Ramsey said before he sat at his locker to check his phone and bask in his comeback.