Ethan Bonner appeared in two regular season games as a rookie with the Miami Dolphins and spent the rest of the year on the team’s practice squad. The former undrafted free agent cornerback could be in line to do much more in year two.
“Bonner probably has had like the craziest jump from I think any player from last year, in my opinion,” Dolphins receiver Jaylen Waddle told reporters Monday after a training camp practice. “He just seems like a totally different player out there. He’s more patient at the line. Maybe it’s just a year under his belt. His patience, he’s using his long arms.
“He obviously knows he can run, so he can stay hip-to-hip with anyone and he’s playing with a lot of confidence out there. I tell ‘EB’ every day, ‘You’re getting us better.'”
Bonner, 24, has never been lacking for athleticism. The former Stanford defensive back reportedly recorded a 4.39 40-yard dash at his pro day after not getting invited to the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.
Ethan Bonner's 40-yard dash pic.twitter.com/Tx8rLgevDT
— Inside The Stanford Cardinal (@InsideStanford) March 22, 2023
“Bonner is one of the fastest guys on the team,” Waddle said. “I think people [think we’re] joking, but Bonner is probably top three.”
“He ran 22 [miles per hour] in camp,” Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill told reporters in October 2023. “He had me like, ‘Okay, this dude, okay.’ I may not call him out in a race.”
Now that speed appears to be translating into more reliable coverage in the secondary. And it’s coming at a good time for the Dolphins.
Depth behind the starting cornerback duo of Jalen Ramsey and Kendall Fuller could be thin, especially after 2023 second-round pick Cam Smith left Sunday practice with an injury and didn’t return Monday. While head coach Mike McDaniel said the issue isn’t serious enough to end Smith’s camp, the Dolphins could use the emergence of a reliable fourth cornerback along with Kader Kohou. It seems, perhaps, that Bonner is prepared to make that leap.
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