Jaguars trade Jalen Ramsey to Rams
The Jacksonville Jaguars traded Jalen Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams confirmed the deal, first reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, via Twitter on Tuesday.
Can’t spell Ramsey without Rams. 😏
Let’s get to work, @jalenramsey‼️— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) October 15, 2019
In return, the Rams will send Jacksonville first-round draft picks in 2020 and 2021 and a fourth-round selection in 2021, according to the ESPN report.
Ramsey requested a trade from the Jaguars after a Week 2 sideline argument with head coach Doug Marrone in a loss to the Houston Texans. He confirmed to media the request the next week in a Sirius XM interview.
Ramsey played in Jacksonville’s Week 3 win over the Tennessee Titans, but hasn’t suited up since, citing various ailments including a back injury and flu before taking an indefinite leave from the team for the birth of his daughter.
Rams making big deals
The deal marks the third trade of the day for the Rams, who dealt cornerback Marcus Peters to the Baltimore Ravens for linebacker Kenny Young and an undisclosed draft pick, and sent a 2021 draft pick to the Cleveland Browns for second-year center Austin Corbett to help shore up a porous offensive line earlier Tuesday.
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The Peters deal happened a day after the Rams placed starting cornerback Aqib Talib on injured reserve, raising questions about what they planned to do at a suddenly depleted cornerback position.
The Ramsey deal emphatically answers that question as the Rams have added one of the league’s premier defenders to their secondary.
What does Ramsey provide Rams?
Ramsey, 24, is in his fourth NFL season after the Jaguars selected him with the fifth pick of the 2016 draft. He lived up to his lofty draft status, earning Pro Bowl nods in 2017 and 2018, and All-Pro honors in 2017.
He’ll provide an immediate upgrade to a pass defense that ranks 14th in the league and will allow the Rams to play more man-to-man defense. He’s a legitimate lock-down cornerback.
The Rams have taken a hard slide after a 3-0 start, dropping to 3-3 with Sunday’s 20-7 loss to the San Francisco 49ers marking a new low on the season. The defending NFC champions are in win-now mode, but find themselves in a dogfight in the NFC West with the 5-0 49ers and 4-1 Seahawks, whom they have an 0-2 record against this season.
There’s a clear hope that Monday’s deal can help the Rams become more competitive in their quest to return to the Super Bowl.
For the Jaguars, losing Ramsey is a jolt, but he appeared adamant on not playing in Jacksonville again. Getting a package that includes a pair of first-round picks amounts to adequate compensation for the blockbuster level of this deal.
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