Would Jalen Ramsey have impact in the Rams secondary that they need?
The Los Angeles Rams made the surprising choice to not select a cornerback in the NFL Draft, despite the position arguably being the team’s biggest need. It’s not just that the Rams didn’t draft a cornerback, but they actively passed on the position and starting level players such as Trey Amos.
With the Rams not taking a cornerback, there has been speculation that the team could make a run at Jalen Ramsey after June 1. During the draft, NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport reported that the Rams were interested in a Jalen Ramsey reunion. ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler added,
“The sticking point here is that $24 million in guarantees. My sense after asking around is Miami has not been overly eager to cover some of that bill, which sort of makes a trade hard to pull off right now. L.A. Rams, it could be a reunion here. They’ve been in the mix here, they are a team to watch, certainly for Ramsey.”
Prior to the draft, the Miami Dolphins and Jalen Ramsey mutually agreed to find a trade with the $24 million in guarantees being a big reason for that. Given that Ramsey wants to play for a contender, the fact that he and Sean McVay still communicate, and the Rams having a need at the position, a reunion makes a lot of sense.
Rams head coach Sean McVay went on Mad Dog Sports Radio on Monday and said,
“Those conversations are ongoing, as I’m sure they are with multiple teams. And we’ll see, but we’re never going to shy away from opportunities to increase the competitiveness of our roster or add great players as long as it fits within the framework of everything that an acquisition like that would entail.”
General manager Les Snead confirmed that he has had discussions with the Dolphins prior to the draft saying,
“I’ve had discussions with Miami. There are a lot of nuances to that situation based on all the things that come with a trade, contracts and things like that. I’m not sure where they’re at in the process.”
From a cap standpoint, it makes sense for the Dolphins to wait until June 1 as it would save them $10 million. If the Rams do a trade, it makes sense that it would happen after that date. Given that the Dolphins are trying to offload Ramsey, it’s unlikely that it would take a major haul to acquire the defensive back. The Dolphins don’t have a lot of leverage and are looking at a day three pick in return value.
While bringing back Ramsey would certainly be exciting, there are some obvious reasons for skepticism on what his impact would be. He is going to be 31 years old in October and is just one season removed from tearing his meniscus.
When it comes to Ramsey, multiple things can be true. The first is clear in that this is not the same first-team All-Pro player that the Rams traded away following 2022. He had the highest missed tackle rate of his career last season with 14 which was two fewer than he had in 2021 and 2022 combined. His 70.8 reception percentage allowed was the highest of his career and his five pass breakups were the fewest he’s had in a full season since 2019 when he was traded away from the Jacksonville Jaguars.
That’s not to say that Ramsey is a bad player, but he is not at the elite level that he was at in 2020 and 2021. It also doesn’t mean that he can’t help the Rams secondary. With a top pass rush last season, the Rams secondary was a bottom-five unit. They allowed the fifth most EPA per pass and ranked 26th in yards per pass.
It’s true that the secondary got better as the season went on, but they went from bad to below average. This isn’t a group that went from below average to good. They went from 31st in EPA per pass in Weeks 1-5 to 20th during Weeks 10-17.
Ahkello Witherspoon had nine games last year in which he played 50 percent or more of the team’s defensive snaps. In those games, he had a missed tackle rate of 18.2 percent and allowed the 10th-most receptions. On the season as a whole, he had a 17.1 percent missed tackle rate and among 94 cornerbacks to play at least 475 snaps, he ranked 73rd in passer rating allowed when targeted.
On the other side, Darious Williams was only marginally better.
The Rams opted to bring back Witherspoon and did not address the cornerback position in the draft. Derion Kendrick will be back next year and the Rams claimed former first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes off of waivers at the end of the season. Still, there’s a lot of uncertainty there.
At safety, defensive coordinator Chris Shula played a lot of three safety looks. However, the Rams have struggled to find a consistent presence to play the slot. Quentin Lake has shown some upside there, especially against the run. Still, Lake allowed the third most yards and sixth-most yards after the catch when in slot coverage.
This is where Ramsey comes in. He very likely would not be taking Witherspoon or Williams’ spot on the outside. As Albert Breer of the MMQB noted,
“I’m really, really intrigued by the possibility he converts to safety in the next year or two. I think he could be another Charles Woodson or Rod Woodson in that regard, where the switch extends his career into his mid-30s.”
Ramsey already played a hybrid role in the secondary when he was in Los Angeles, holding the “STAR” position. In that role, he led the Rams in snaps from the slot in 2021 and 2022. The Dolphins didn’t play Ramsey here a lot as he didn’t have one snap from the slot in 2023. He played 105 snaps from the slot last season.
Due to the way that Shula used his safeties and defensive backs last season, acquiring Ramsey doesn’t mean Witherspoon, Williams, Lake, or Kam Curl lose their spot. Ramsey is simply an added piece to that unit.
If the Rams acquire Ramsey, it won’t be as a typical boundary cornerback. It’s possible that he could play there, but he would very likely have a hybrid role that Shula moves around as he did with Lake and McCollough last season. Ramsey is still stellar against the run as well which the Rams lacked in the secondary. Pro Football Focus graded Ramsey as the seventh-best cornerback against the run in 2024 with the fourth most assisted tackles.
Again, while Ramsey may not be the All-Pro player that he was, he brings something the Rams currently lack and represents an upgrade.
There is the obvious issue of the contract. However, according to Spotrac, the Rams would pick up $5.9 million of Ramsey’s contract in 2025. While he has a $25 million cap hit in 2026, they could still cut him and save $6.6 million or potentially work out a new contract.
The benefit of adding a player like Ramsey is his experience in the defense along with his versatility and physicality against the run. Those last two things are aspects that the Rams defense missed last season.
Heading into the summer, the Rams have a major need at cornerback after not addressing the position in the spring. Following Jalen Ramsey’s developing situation in Miami, a return to the Rams makes sense. It might also be the upgrade in the secondary that’s needed.
