For the first time in a long time, Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel met with the media before the annual meetings to discuss a number of topics, including the trade for cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
Dolphins general manager Chris Grier added another impressive transaction to his resume before the start of the league year, sending tight end Hunter Long and a third-round pick to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for the All-Pro cornerback.
McDaniel and Grier are no strangers to making big trades. In fact, speaking to the media, McDaniel compared the acquisition to one that he saw just a year ago.
“Similar situation to that of the year before with Tyreek [Hll] in terms of it kind of hits me out of nowhere,” McDaniel said (transcribed by the Miami Herald). He shared that Grier came to him and “he has this look, like ‘Hey, you’re going to like the news that I have’. He says, ‘Yeah, we have an opportunity.’ My immediate reaction was pretty candid and simple: ‘All right, not talking terms, not talking what it’s going to cost. That would be a cool opportunity that would be hard to replicate.’ That’s the litmus test.”
Miami has been willing to part with their draft capital to go all-in on proven, veteran talent, something that has been made popular by the dealings of the Rams, the very team they traded with. The coach explained that even if they seem to trade picks quite frequently, they do matter.
“We are willing to trade draft picks,” McDaniel said. “We very much value them. When presented with that opportunity, we jumped on it. To Chris Grier and [senior vice president of football and business administration] Brandon Shore’s credit, they were able to get a fair deal. We are elated to add a player [of that quality].
“When players can make other players better, you’re on to something. Very excited for his ability to do that. Excited about the person and the player and the element he provides for our defense.”
The addition of Ramsey is just another shining personality in a locker room full of them, but McDaniel isn’t backing down.
“I have to be a bigger star than them,” he joked. “Guys that have star ability, like All-Pros, with big personalities, you can shy away from it or really feed into it. It’s something that can make your team better. Any player that has a star persona carries an extra burden of performance. Those players know they have to pay the piper on Sundays.
“As long as you’re a good teammate, that can only benefit [your team]. We did a deep dive on that [with Ramsey]. He’s got a magnetic personality and that’s really cool. I like we’re we are at with various [players], personalities on defense.”
Pairing Ramsey and Xavien Howard is a scary thought for opposing quarterbacks and coordinators. A defense that was a weak spot for the team just last year, now led by Vic Fangio, should be much and improved as well as a major reason why the Dolphins are starting to be discussed as potential Super Bowl contenders.
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