Rams must target Dolphins CB Jalen Ramsey trade after biggest draft failure

And the verdict is:

on pause. After all, let's revisit the way we view the Rams' secondary performance one more time. NFL analysts view the 2024 NFL season as though the Rams performed consistently throughout the year. But I assert that it's best to view the season as four distinct chapters. They are:

1. Tre'Davious White chapter
2. Darious Williams/Ahkello Witherspoon/Cobie Durant chapter
3. Rams season finale chapter
4. Playoffs chapter

The Rams' secondary was a hot mess to open the season. Opening the season at 1-4 placed the team in a deep hole. While it was not all on the shoulders of DB Tre'Davious White, he certainly did not help the Rams out. The team experimented with various combinations, finally surrendering to the fact that White was not suited to compete for the Rams. The Rams inserted Ahkello Witherspoon into the mix, which helped. But the defense did not truly dominate until Cobie Durant was injured, leaving the Rams to start Darious Williams and Ahkello Witherspoon.

And then, the Rams' pass defense in the NFL Playoffs averaged just 114 passing yards per game in two games. So there could be solid evidence that supports the premise that the Rams' cornerback room is good as is. The team knows the players, the players know the coaches, and the team. Finally, there is the bonus of both Ahkello Witherspoon and newly acquired cornerback Emmanuel Forbes benefiting from their first Rams training camp.

So there is a solid basis to expect the Rams secondary to play better right out of the gates. But this team is too close to leave anything up to random chance. Ramsey is an upgrade. When has Les Snead failed to try to upgrade this roster?

The Rams have already held discussions with the Miami Dolphins about trading for veteran DB Jalen Ramsey. So there is no use denying the fact that the Rams are interested. It undermines the Rams negotiating position to come out and admit: 'Without Jalen Ramsey, we're screwed.' So I wouldn't place too much stock in the belief that the Rams have stated that they are good.

It comes down to the Dolphins' asking price for Jalen Ramsey, which has to be very cheap. Ramsey's payroll expense is huge, so this has to be treated like a salary dump for the Dolphins. The Rams do not have that amount of readily available cash ($21+ million) to throw at Ramsey in 2025. So the front office will need to do some house cleaning to handle Ramsey's financial burden.

All things considered, I give the Rams rumors of trading for Jalen Ramsey a 75 percent chance. The team is interested. The team had ample opportunities to upgrade the cornerback room. But the team left everything as is. Hmmm.

The bottom line is that DB Jalen Ramsey upgrades the defense.

As always, thanks for reading.

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