LA Rams Jalen Ramsey Tweet: ". . .trade? Maybe lol”

Pretty stellar stats for a Ramsey 'down year'

Was it truly a down year for the defensive back? Or as has been the case in the past, did the LA Rams simply load more and more responsibility onto his plate until he was overwhelmed? After all, he plays at the cornerback position. In most NFL defenses, they are not among the team's top tacklers nor are they one of the team's quarterback sack leaders.

In terms of Rams defensive ranking, Jalen Ramsey was the:

Fourth leading tackler with 88 tackles
Top pass defender with four interceptions
Tied for sixth best pass rusher with two quarterback sacks
Top pass defender with 18 pass defenses
Tops on the defense with three forced fumbles
Tied for first on the defense with one fumble recovery
Tied for fifth-place on the defense with four tackles for a loss.

And yet, if you talk to some, they have already made their mind up over the fact that Jalen Ramsey should be traded. That is somewhat concerning, particularly when you compare Ramsey's overall impact to the leading DBs in the NFL in 2022.

The Denver Broncos DB Justin Simmons led everyone in the NFL with six interceptions, but he only recorded 69 tackles, and had no quarterback sacks. In the same manner, many point to New York Jets DB Sauce Gardner as the best in the NFL today. But he recorded two interceptions, only recorded 75 tackles, had no quarterback sacks, and no forced fumbles.

If you were to place Jalen Ramsey on the trade block, what do you believe to be fair compensation? A Day 2 draft pick? A first round draft pick? A first round draft pick plus other picks? The LA Rams traded two first-round picks and a fourth-round pick to acquire Ramsey. The team should expect at least a first-round and a fourth-round pick. Would any NFL team be willing to compensate the Rams at that level? You should expect that several would, particularly those teams that face some of the best NFL passing offenses in 2023.

Will it or won't it happen? Well, the word is out there, and as is often the case, where there is smoke, there is fire. Is that why the LA Rams have hired both Aubrey Pleasant and former UW head coach Jimmy Lake, both of whom have excellent track records working with and developing superior defensive backs? The LA Rams are not the sort of team that play it safe. In fact, this is a team that welcomes calculated risks. Will the Rams roll the dice one more time?

Stay tuned.