Turf Show Times
Once seen as inevitable, a Ramsey return now feels far less certain. Here’s why the Rams may stay patient.
The Los Angeles Rams trading for cornerback Jalen Ramsey has almost seemed inevitable at this point. However, if you were to ask head coach Sean McVay, nothing seems too imminent. Said McVay during the first week of Organized Team Activities, “I would say this, there really hasn’t been any meaningful, tangible dialogue as of late.”
In one sense, that might be what a head coach is expected to say in that situation. At the same time, McVay also has a history of not having a very good poker face. He wears his emotion on his sleeve and that has always been the case.
Even if a trade wasn’t going to happen until after June 1, you may still have seen a smirk or knowing smile from the Rams head coach. Instead, this was his answer when asked about the June 1 date that has been set,
“Obviously, we love Jalen. We know Jalen intimately. There would be some things that we would need to be able to do if that was going to be a direction that we went. We certainly haven’t closed the door on that, but there hasn’t been a whole lot of dialogue as of late in regard to some of the communication and so we’ll see if that changes.”
Either McVay has gotten much better at hiding his cards or the Rams and Dolphins really aren’t that close on completing a deal. It’s also worth noting that the Rams aren’t the only team involved. The Dallas Cowboys have also been rumored to be in the Ramsey discussions.
Trading for Ramsey this time around is much different than it was back in 2019. At that point, the Rams were just entering the “F them picks” timeline and pushing to go all in for a Super Bowl. While the Rams are pushing for one last run at a Super Bowl with quarterback Matthew Stafford, they are also simultaneously living in two timelines.
While McVay joked about trading away the team’s extra first round pick saying, “For now, we do. For now...,” it would be a surprise if the Rams did trade that asset away. The return would have to be for a bona fide star that matches their current timeline. This is a team that is trying to sustain success post-Stafford, not have the bottom crash out. Ramsey may be a good player and be an upgrade in the secondary. At the same time, he’s also not worth a first-round pick at this point in his career. This isn’t the All-Pro level cornerback that the Rams traded for and then traded away later.
There’s no rush for the Rams to trade for Ramsey. He knows the defensive system, having played under Brandon Staley, Raheem Morris, and having familiarity with Chris Shula who was the defensive backs coach in 2022. The Rams have leverage and can try to force...
