LA Rams CB Jalen Ramsey sending team wrong message

LA Rams newly acquired cornerback Jalen Ramsey is hinting to pair up with Detroit Lions CB Darius Slay, but that is the wrong message

The LA Rams are quickly becoming a very stratified team. The roster is filled with the have’s and the have-nots. While a bit of that exists on all NFL teams, typically highly compensated players show up big on game day. That age-old tradition seems to be a thing of the past with the Rams right now. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Cornerback Jalen Ramsey arrived at the LA Rams, courtesy of what appears to be rather lopsided trades in the favor of the Jacksonville Jaguars, his former team. Well, several trades to be exact, but the one which actually moved Ramsey to the Rams required two first-round picks, plus a fourth-round pick.

Two firsts and a fourth for 1.5 years of play. At the time, the unanimous consensus is that the Rams must commit incredible wealth to Ramsey to re-sign him to a multiyear contract, making him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL. Now? I’m starting to rethink that cycle.

Solid core needs no more

The Rams have a solid core of young cornerbacks and safeties. So solid was the Rams coverage that Pro Football Focus raised their grade after trading away veteran cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters. The Rams found new additions to their young secondary by the name of Taylor Rapp and David Long. Now that the rookies are entering their second season, they will likely seek significant playing time.

With the Rams secondary led by Ramsey, they boast cornerbacks David Long, Troy Hill, Nickell Robey-Coleman, and safeties John Johnson and Taylor Rapp. That’s a very young group of players who will grow into one of the best secondaries in the NFL.  A group that will learn to work together, help one another, and push one another.

A group this young needs a bit of support to realize their true potential.  But that scenario can be shattered quickly by rumors, tales of the Rams organization “seeking more” at the position than the current group of young hopefuls will deliver.  Rumors of the team trading for a second veteran, Detroit Lions cornerback Darius Slay.

Rocky Road to Rams

Cornerback Jalen Ramsey was traded away from the Jacksonville Jaguars by being a bad teammate. He wanted to play for a winning team, wanted to get paid, and ransomed his play to force the Jaguars to do exactly that. He felt he was not being used correctly in the defense, he openly disputed with his head coach, and he had no problem letting it show for the world to see.

The Jaguars were never able to repair the volatile relationship. Ramsey hid behind injuries and ailments to refuse to take the field with his teammates. Facing a future with a highly paid player who would not play for them, the Jaguars finally succumbed to the player’s wishes to be traded.

Now Jalen Ramsey is back at it again. Perhaps it’s all in fun. Still, in the context of what forced him TO the LA Rams, he is flirting with sending the Rams down another path to a bad situation.

Ramsey played in just 11 games in 2019. Three of those were for the Jacksonville Jaguars. Eight games were with the LA Rams. Just eight games.  In the time since he has arrived, the Rams have fired the defensive coordinator who likely advocated to bring him to LA, hired a new defensive coordinator, and has yet to reveal any of the changes to the defensive players.

Wrong message

Amidst the changes, the fragile salary cap situation, the lack of material 2020 NFL Draft picks, cornerback Jalen Ramsey is nudging the Rams to trade for CB Darius Slay. By his reputation as a veteran cornerback in the NFL with incredible talent, he could be encouraging his teammates. He could help to forge a winning team, a team he so desperately wants to play for.

Instead, the message is “we are not enough here”. Instead, for a chortle and an insider’s joke, the Rams suddenly need another elite cornerback to be competitive? The Rams cannot continue to support the turnstile at the cornerback position, renting the NFL’s most reputable cornerbacks, for less than two-year rentals.

The LA Rams have not freed up any salary-cap space.  Perhaps the team awaits the actions of the NFLPA on the new CBA to determine the best course of action going forward. But time is running out to free up sufficient cap space to sign top-performing free agents in 2020.

The shopping list is already bursting

And with no money, the Rams must turn to the NFL Draft to improve the roster.  That means the Rams must draft, develop, coach up, and show confidence in the team’s young players. With a projected six picks and up to 18 vacancies, the Rams will likely lean heavily among undrafted free agents immediately following the NFL Draft once more.

Right now, the LA Rams need to address projected holes in the defensive front seven. The team’s front office must reinforce the offensive line. The same front office must also look to the running back situation and determine whether a new set of fresh legs would help or simply complicate the running game that much further.

That’s a lot of work to keep the team busy for now.  With no money, and few draft picks to spare, the Rams cannot be chasing after one player at a position where the team appears to be the deepest on paper.

Thanks but no thanks Darius and Jalen.  Until the LA Rams win it all, this team is about focusing upon winning it all. The coaches are committing to that goal. Hopefully the players will too.