Cornerback Cam Smith's NFL career has not panned out exactly how the Miami Dolphins organization would have liked for it to.
Smith headed into the 2023 NFL Draft as one of college football's top defensive back prospects, and the Dolphins took him with a second-round (No. 51 overall) pick.
Since then, Smith has appeared in over half the possible regular season games he could have played in, albeit in a limited capacity. He played just 133 defensive snaps last season and 22 the year before, recording 18 total tackles. He also spent much of the 2024 campaign on the Dolphins' injured reserve list.
Smith now heads into his third season as a professional looking to cement himself as a piece for the Dolphins' future. But in the eyes of head coach Mike McDaniel, Smith is still a work in progress.
"He is chopping wood, and the end result I wouldn't want right now to get where we want to go, both the organization and the player," McDaniel said. "There's much work that needs to built upon what he's put in thus far."
Miami Dolphins cornerback Cam Smith (24) speaks to reporters after practicing during mandatory minicamp at Hard Rock Stadium.
Miami Dolphins cornerback Cam Smith (24) speaks to reporters after practicing during mandatory minicamp at Hard Rock Stadium.
Sam Navarro-Imagn Images
Part of the Dolphins' offseason preparations included rehashing fundamentals with the team's younger players, McDaniel said. For defensive backs, this included alignment, body posture, eye discipline and keeping track of multiple variables while making reads.
Smith has made strides in these areas, McDaniels said, and he hopes Smith continues to grow from the "real stuff" he gets out of each practice.
"Why I say 'real' is because practicing football without the focus that's consistent with game day execution is like the difference between playing catch and running a route in an offense," McDaniel said. "It's totally different."
Ultimately, it is up to Smith to continue building on what he has already learned as the offseason progresses, McDaniels said.
"We're at a good spot in where we're developing this year for him to perform and for his teammates to count on him. But it's not only his job to get to this point, but to follow through without any sort of setbacks and vigor and focus every day moving forward," McDaniel said. "We'll see what he has in store based upon thus far this offseason."