MIAMI GARDENS — It’s an NFL coach’s job to challenge players. Miami Dolphins cornerback Jalen Ramsey has enough respect from eight seasons in the league that he’s challenging Anthony Weaver, his new defensive coordinator.

One of the first things Weaver said when he was installed in his role in February was that he considered Ramsey the “ultimate chess piece.” Put him on the outside, the inside, or anywhere a quarterback doesn’t expect him to be, in other words. And let Ramsey do what Ramsey does.

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“I’ve heard that a few times in my career, though,” Ramsey said Wednesday. “It’s really only happened a couple of times.”

Clearly, Ramsey would love the freedom to show what he wanted to show in his first season in Miami, under then-coordinator Vic Fangio.

Why is Ramsey hungry for such a role?

“Well, it allows me to showcase all of my skill set, all of my abilities,” he said. “It allows teams not to always be able to dictate where I am. It allows me to be more involved in the game and the game plan and not get bored out there on the field. I think it opens up a lot of opportunities in place for other people as well when I get to be versatile and do different things.”

Asked if he ever gets bored on the field, Ramsey half-grinned, simply repeated the question, and left it at that.

Ramsey had an instant impact as soon as he debuted in Dolphins colors following a meniscus tear during last year’s training camp. He was again named to the Pro Bowl. Ramsey said he’s 100 percent but added that football players have to tell themselves they’re 100 percent even though they’re never actually feeling that way.

“But I, you know, like a 75 percent Jalen over 90 percent of the guys in the league, so I’ll take whatever I can get,” he said.

Dolphins reporter Hal Habib can be reached at  hhabib@pbpost.com. Follow him on social media @gunnerhal. Click here to subscribe.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Miami Dolphins' Jalen Ramsey wants to be ‘chess piece' in secondary