Rams Trade for Jalen Ramsey was a Preemptive Strike on the NFC West

LA Rams trade for CB Jalen Ramsey was a preemptive strike against NFC West

On October 15, 2019, the Los Angeles Rams traded the Jacksonville Jaguars for All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey. In hindsight, this can be seen as a preemptive strike against the other teams of the NFC West. Ramsey is an NFL top-three defensive back (arguably the best there is) who had a down season last year in his transition to the west coast and his new team. That is due in large part to moving into a starting lineup for defense in midseason. Still, the addition was a great move and has defined how the NFC West shaped up this offseason.

WR DeAndre Hopkins was traded to the Cardinals, while WR Antonio Brown is now rumored to both the Seattle Seahawks and the San Francisco 49ers. Both moves now place extreme pressure upon the  Rams to get a premium cornerback to counter the extreme upgrades across the division-wide at the wide receiver position. That just covers the additions, as wide D.K. Metcalf, who was just a rookie last season, should make a huge jump in his second NFL season and be another receiving threat.

Rams-ey Rumors

Not only did Ramsey help to improve the Rams secondary against new threats, but he also helps with another new rumored threat.  The new threat is possibly Jamal Adams. What does Adams, an NFL safety on the defensive side of the ball for the New York Jets, have to do with Ramsey you ask? The Rams are not interested in trading for Adams. So, let me break it down. Adams is rumored to be on the trade block and who else but the 49ers are rumored to be heavily interested.

Now Ramsey does not face off against the safety from another team’s defense, that makes no sense. But he did do something else. Remember the exuberant price the Rams paid for Ramsey? The Jets sure do. You see the Jets want what the Jags got from us for whoever trades for Adams. This could either price the 49ers out of contention for Adams or make them risk their future on one player.

Even if they pull the trigger on the deal,  Adams has already stated publicly that he wants a new contract, one that could reset the safety market, which would require the 49ers to invest remaining cap space to Adams in addition to draft picks

What do you think Ramily? Was the trade for Ramsey a good one looking at the receiver additions to the West? What about the 49ers rumored to wanting Adams? Do you think Ramseys deal made priced the 49ers out or do you want them to overpay and risk their future? Let us know what you think!