Miami Dolphins cornerback Cam Smith may be out of time to show he’s still worth the team’s patience. It was made clear earlier in the offseason by general manager Chris Grier that Smith was already on thin ice and that was reiterated earlier this week by head coach Mike McDaniel.

“Cam Smith needs to come through at the end of the day,” Grier told reporters in April. “He’s got to stay healthy and be on the field. He’s shown some flashes, but this is a very big year for him. He knows what’s expected, because we can’t hold his hand and wait for him anymore.”

But the 2023 second-round pick has spent a chunk of training camp watching from the sideline while dealing with an injury.

“We’re all awaiting his ability to stay on the field,” McDaniel said Sunday. “Every time that there’s a setback we’re trying to assess, but got to stay on the field to continue to develop. I like the stuff that he’s doing in his development when he’s on the field.”

Following the trade that sent Jalen Ramsey to the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Dolphins opened training camp with a competition between inexperienced, young corners and discount bin free agents. It was a situation ripe for Smith to earn the play time that eluded him in his first two NFL seasons. Through the first couple weeks of practice, however, Smith is more buried on the roster than ever.

In the Dolphins’ first depth chart of the 2025 season, Smith is listed with the third team. Storm Duck and Kendall Sheffield are the first-team corners on the outside with veteran Mike Hilton starting in the slot. Ethan Bonner, Jack Jones, and Cornell Armstrong are the trio on the second team.

That leaves Smith with an uphill climb just to earn a place on the 53-man roster.

While preseason could provide a final opportunity for Smith to make a statement, it’s possible that ship has already sailed.

Could the Dolphins trade the third-year cornerback? It’s not as far-fetched as it sounds. Early draft picks frequently have enduring trade value, despite making little impact in their first NFL seasons. Miami managed to deal away former first-round corner Noah Igbinoghene after he started only five games in three seasons with the Dolphins. In that same August, the Cardinals and 49ers found markets for their former first-round busts Isaiah Simmons and Trey Lance.

If there’s a team convinced it can get Smith to live up to the potential that made him a second round pick, the Dolphins would likely take peanuts in return. And if there isn’t such a team, it seems only a matter of time before the Dolphins pull the plug on their top selection of the 2023 NFL draft.