Jalen Ramsey is being held against his will in Jacksonville. He is forced to play with a fairly irrelevant franchise (besides our Lord and Savior, Gardner Minshew) and not be a part of the hottest organization in the NFL. Ramsey should take his talents to Baltimore and join the best secondary outside of Foxborough.
All jokes aside, Ramsey coming to the Ravens makes a lot of sense for both sides. The Jaguars would be able to repopulate their roster with early draft picks and a potential player. For the Ravens, they would bolster one of the best secondaries in the NFL by adding a premier cover corner.
Reports have claimed that the Jaguars rejected an offer of a first-round pick, a second-round pick, and 2018 first-round pick Hayden Hurst for Ramsey. While the offer has not been validated, it seems realistic for the Ravens to offer it in a package to acquire Ramsey.
Should the Jaguars trade Ramsey?
Ideally, the Jaguars would not part ways with the former All-Pro. Ramsey is one of the best players in the NFL, and he is a top-two cornerback. However, if the Jaguars are overwhelmed with an offer, they should capitalize on Ramsey’s immense value.
Should the Ravens trade for Ramsey?
Yes. While the secondary is the strength of the Baltimore defense, the defense has been nagged with injuries to Tavon Young and Jimmy Smith. Even at full strength, it is a logical move to trade for Ramsey. A trade for Ramsey enables the Ravens to be fluid with Jimmy Smith and Brandon Carr moving forward. Carr is 33 and Smith is 31; both are injury-prone. On the other hand, Ramsey has yet to turn 25, so he likely has half a decade or more of high-level play at the back of whatever secondary utilizes him.
Baltimore’s Future Secondary:
Ramsey would join 23-year-old Marlon Humphrey to form an elite cornerback duo which would likely be the best in the NFL. Coupled with two great safeties in Earl Thomas and Tony Jefferson, the Ravens would have the best secondary in the league in 2019. Moving beyond 2019, the Ravens would have to find a future replacement for the 30-year-old Thomas. The Ravens have loads of depth in the secondary, so they would likely solve the problem internally or through the draft. If the 2019 draft was any indication, Eric DeCosta seems to be a drafting wizard, so he likely has a contingency plan for Thomas in case he declines or leaves early.
What would the Ravens have to give up for Ramsey?
The Ravens would certainly have to part with their 2020 first-round pick and other draft picks.
Will the trade happen?
Over the course of the weekend, the Jaguars postured away from a potential trade. It has become increasingly unlikely that the Jaguars with part ways with their All-Pro cornerback. The Ravens should continue to negotiate a trade with Jacksonville, however.
Other teams who have been involved in the Ramsey sweepstakes are the Eagles, Seahawks, Texans, and Patriots. Ramsey would improve all four of those secondaries, and the Patriots’ secondary would be one of the best in NFL history as they would pair the best two cornerbacks in the NFL (Stephon Gilmore and Ramsey) with a great safety duo. The Eagles, Seahawks, and Texans need help in the secondary, so Ramsey would be the perfect addition to shut down half of the field.
Ramsey will likely be a Jaguar moving forward, but in the event of a trade, the Ravens need to make sure that Ramsey ends up wearing purple, black, and white.
3 Responses
Are the 2-1 Ravens really the hottest team in football?
Yes, Lamar Jackson is going to the Hall Of Fame off this one season buddy.