Dolphins activate star cornerback Jalen Ramsey, but Patriots vow to be ready for him

After days of speculation about his status for Week 8, the Miami Dolphins have indeed activated Jalen Ramsey from injured reserve. The Pro Bowl cornerback will therefore be eligible to play in Sunday’s game against the New England Patriots.

The Dolphins acquired Ramsey, 29, via trade from the Los Angeles Rams earlier this offseason. However, he suffered a torn meniscus in training camp and was placed on injured reserve following the roster cutdown deadline — making him eligible to be activated at a later point in the season.

That move has now indeed happened, adding some proven quality as well as an element of uncertainty to the Miami secondary. Patriots head coach Bill Belichick, however, vowed that his team will be ready for Ramsey joining the Dolphins’ 53-man roster.

When asked on Friday about the veteran as well as fellow cornerback Nik Needham, who was activated from the physically unable to perform list earlier this week, Belichick said they too would be part of the preparatory process even with their statuses unclear.

“They’re both good players,” he said. “Needham’s a little more of an inside player. Ramsey’s played both — outside, inside. Obviously, very talented player, but he hasn’t played this year. We’ve seen those guys in the past, certainly seen Needham last year.

“We’re ready for all of those guys that could be activated, even practice squad players, practicing players who could be elevated. We’ll see what happens, but we’re aware of those guys, and as it becomes more likely — or if they get activated — we’ll kind of increase things on them. But there’s a lot of guys that we know they’re going to play, and I’d say we’re focused on most of them right now.”

While the Dolphins will add Ramsey to their secondary, they will miss starting safety Jevon Holland on Sunday due to a concussion. The Patriots, meanwhile, have ruled out three players for the contest: edge linebacker Josh Uche (knee, ankle) as well as offensive tackles Calvin Anderson (illness) and Vederian Lowe (ankle) will miss the game.

The matchup between the two AFC East rivals is scheduled for a 1 p.m. ET kickoff at Miami’s Hard Rock Stadium.