The Detroit Lions lacked consistently good cornerback play all year, but recent news may change that for next season. The Los Angeles Rams had a terrible year and they need to do some re-tooling to their team, including potentially trading away some of their stars. There have been many rumors going around that the Rams will shop Superstar Corner Jalen Ramsey this off-season, so do the Lions make sense as a potential landing spot?
Does It Make Sense For The Rams To Part Ways With Ramsey?
The Rams went from Superbowl champions to the sixth-worst record in the NFL in less than a year and there is really no explanation as to how they did so badly. They got off to a bad start then three of their top four players got injured and many more starters, so the team seemingly gave up on even trying anymore. With how old some of their players are getting and how significant some players’ injuries were, the Rams’ championship window may be closed and it would be smart of them to make some moves to either start rebuilding or retooling their team. Getting Ramsey’s contract off the books and a decent return for him would be ideal for this.
Ramsey had an extremely down year for his standards, last year he was the consensus top corner in the NFL but now people have him outside of their top five. There were many games where receivers were able to expose Ramsey on routes this season which has not been the case in the past. While he gave up a lot of yards, he still had a decent season in other aspects including tackling and the run game, which he hasn’t been that good at those aspects of the game in the past. So if the Rams decide they want to re-tool the team, trading Ramsey makes too much sense.
Does It Make Sense For The Lions To Trade for Ramsey?
The Lions had a decent second half of the year defensively but the cornerback group is what dragged it down mostly. Jeff Okudah started the year looking like he could be who everyone thought he was when the Lions drafted him, but his play dropped off so badly that he was benched in some games for players like Amani Oruwariye. Jerry Jacobs showed what he showed his rookie year after coming back from injury but was constantly in penalty trouble when he couldn’t keep up with a receiver. So ultimately, cornerback help needs to be the number one priority for the Lions this off-season.
Jalen Ramsey seems like the perfect fit for what the Lions are going for, culture-wise and scheme fit wise. A down year for Ramsey is the best season for a Lions corner since Darius Slay, so whether the Lions get this year’s version of Ramsey or like years past when he was a top-two corner in the league he will be an elite addition to the Lions’ defense. Jalen Ramsey would take away a team’s number-one option a majority of the time and allow Okudah and Jacobs to hold down the rest of the receiving core. The only drawback for the Lions is Ramsey’s contract, but they’re one of the few teams in the league that can afford it.
What Would Be An Even Trade To Send Ramsey To The Lions?
While Ramsey is still a top corner in the league, the Rams won’t get near the return as what they gave up for him. Ramsey has dropped off a little bit, got older, and has a way higher cap hit than he did when they traded for him from Jacksonville. The likely return the rams would get from the Lions is pick 59 and 149 from this year’s draft and a future third-round pick.
