Just hours after the Los Angeles Rams traded away Marcus Peters to the Baltimore Ravens, they bring in one of the best cornerbacks in all of football. So, did the Rams win the Jalen Ramsey trade, or was the Jacksonville Jaguars’ haul too much to say no to?
The Jalen Ramsey saga in Jacksonville is over as the Jaguars traded the star quarterback to the defending NFC champion Los Angeles Rams. Ramsey has not seen the field since Sept. 19. Whether that was for a back injury, the birth of his child or a possible holdout, it was becoming clearer and clearer that Ramsey had played his last game in Jacksonville. Now, he gets to play for a Super Bowl contender that was desperate for a shakeup.
For Ramsey’s services, the Rams sent the Jags two first-round picks and a fourth-round pick. That’s an absolute haul for the Jaguars, but if that’s what it takes to get Ramsey, isn’t it worth it? The Rams’ secondary was in a bad way. They just put Aqib Talib, still a really good CB despite his age, on injured reserve. Then, they traded Marcus Peters to the Baltimore Ravens for linebacker Kenny Young and a fifth-round pick.
So, the short-term hit to the Rams is actually pretty minimal. They will lose their 2020 first-round pick, but the other two picks are in 2021. The pick they got in the Marcus Peters trade is for this season. If you want to look at the Rams’ day as a whole, they traded away Peters, a 2020 first, and 2021 first and fourth for Ramsey, Young and a 2020 fifth.
When looking at the deal as a whole, the Rams seem like they come out aces here. They were very close to having Troy Hill as their top cornerback. Now, they have one of the best to play the position in a long time.
Looking at the Jaguars’ side of things, they get to add a pick to add to a team that desperately needs more talent. With Nick Foles signed for three more seasons, and Gardner Minshew looking like a serviceable player, their quarterback position is as solidified as it has been since Byron Leftwich was good. Leonard Fournette probably wasn’t the right pick for them at the time, but he’s still an outstanding offensive player. Now, they just need to solidify some positions and they can once again compete in the AFC South.
However, there still seems to be a clear winner here. The Rams believe those draft picks are going to be somewhere between 28-32 both years. For that, they got a top-five talent. They make that trade every single time. Not only that, but they did it at the perfect time, since they are falling further and further out of the NFC West race. At 3-3, right now was a make-or-break time for the Rams. Instead of staying status quo, they went big. Those who go big usually come out the winners, at least at first.