When it comes to blockbuster trades, no team has struck more of them than the Los Angeles Rams since 2017. There was Sammy Watkins, Brandin Cooks, Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters, but none were bigger than their midseason deal for Jalen Ramsey in October.
They parted ways with two first-round picks to land the All-Pro cornerback, who went on to make the Pro Bowl in his first season with the Rams. It was a steep price to pay, but one the team feels good about – even with Ramsey having only one year left on his contract.
Aaron Donald loves having Ramsey roaming the secondary, saying he helps everyone else on defense – especially the pass rushers.
“It was like he was there for a year or two already,” Donald said of how Ramsey fit in the defense, on ESPN’s Golic and Wingo. “He’s one heck of a football player. He’s one of the best at what he does at his position. Adding him to the mix with the players that we’ve got, it was definitely a plus for us. We lost two good corners – that was hurting, we were worried about that – but we brought another good one in, so the things you’re able to do with him and the way we use him to help us as far as pass rushers. He can lock up one side of the field and guard the best wide receivers on the field. So when you’ve got a guy like that, he tends to help the defensive line make some plays, too. Adding him to the mix was a big plus for us.”
Trading away Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters came as a huge surprise initially, considering the Rams weren’t exactly flush with talent at cornerback. It also signaled that another move was likely coming, even though Les Snead said the Rams hadn’t agreed to acquire Ramsey before trading away Peters and Talib.
Ramsey did take some time to get acclimated to a new defense, but in 2020, he’ll have a whole year to learn the scheme. The same can be said about the rest of the Rams’ defenders, too, with Brandon Staley coming aboard as the new defensive coordinator.