The Los Angeles Rams did not address the cornerback position during the draft. The Los Angeles Rams did not address the cornerback position after the draft. And that has some Rams fans a bit nervous, and all Rams fans a bit suspicious. They are not wrong, as the Rams' brain trust seldom announces their intentions to improve the roster, but almost always come through in a pinch.
It all seems to fall in line with the adage attributed to former US President Abraham Lincoln:
"You can fool all of the people some of the time, and some of the people all of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time "- attributed to Abraham Lincoln
The Rams' roster did not require depth at the cornerback position. After re-signing veteran CB Ahkello Witherspoon, the ranks swelled to 10 players. But the team is relying on the expectation that their players will improve in 2025. Perhaps they will. After all, this will be the first year that both Emmanuel Forbes and Ahkello Witherspoon will participate in training camp. And the team will get Derion Kendrick back from IR. So, who are the 10 players currently on the roster? They are:
- Cobie Durant
- Emmanuel Forbes (Claimed off waivers from Washington Commanders)
- Derion Kendrick (Off IR)
- Josh Wallace
- Darious Williams
- Ahkello Witherspoon
- Shaun Jolly
- Cam Lampkin
- Charles Woods
- A.J. Green
While this group did show up big in the 2025 NFL Playoffs, that success is attributable to the team's relentless pass rush that manhandled opposing quarterbacks. The Rams pass rush pu up 16 quarterback sacks in two playoff games. That was the most by any playoff team, no matter how many games played.
The Rams got as much out of the above group as possible. But their ability to defend passes is related to how much pressure the defensive front can apply. Shouldn't the team have considered investing in at least one top-tier cornerback, either in free agency, the draft, or even taken a flyer on an undrafted cornerback? The team's abstinence in avoiding cornerbacks that were a consensus need projected for the team by NFL analysts says one of two things:
- The Rams are overly confident in the group based on their postseason dominance, buoyed by a pass rush that was playing lights out. OR
- The Rams front office has an Ace up its sleeve. There is no need to make a move towards the cornerback position if that is an agenda item scheduled for a future date.
The Rams are neither stupid nor blind. Even as the team may fall into a predictable pattern on offense or miss the mark with free agency signings, the Rams continue to keep one foot on the ground. More and more, one of the most admirable traits of this team is not resisting errors. Rather, the team works quickly to right the wrongs. Need proof? The team traded away veteran DB Tre'Davious White mid-season, after he was unable to generate anything positive in four starts.
The team also dealt veteran IOL Jonah Jackson after it was clear that he was not going to become a starter. Steve Avila was better at left guard, and rookie Beaux Limmer was better at center. The lone free agent signing from 2024 is TE Colby Parkinson, and he has stiff competition in the form of just-drafted Oregon tight end Terrance Ferguson.
But it works both ways. The Rams traded away All-Pro DB Jalen Ramsey at the end of the 2022 season. Now, NFL rumors are heating up that link Ramsey's return to the Rams. So does it hold water? Or is this all smoke and mirrors? Let's dive in.
Why trading for Jalen Ramsey doesn't make sense
There is an enclave of Rams fans who just can't see the benefits of trading for the team's former star cornerback, and to that I say: You could be correct. After all, whether or not Ramsey is still a top-tier performer on the football field, he is compensated like one. One of the toughest challenges for any NFL football team is divvying up the money. Too much to one player, and you have insufficient funds to pay the other contributors. Too little to one player and you risk discontent, and ultimately that player actively seeking to be traded.
The Rams traded Ramsey for a reason. At the time, the team did not feel like a playoff contender, and Ramsey is a thoroughbred who deserved more than a team that struggled in the depths of sub-.500 football. To reclaim NFL relevance, the Rams had to nearly wipe the slate clean and rebuild the roster from the foundation up.
That included reforming the secondary.
Is it fair to the young defensive backs to work so hard to reclaim relevance and then plop in Jalen Ramsey to be the presumed starter? And in a cornerback room loaded with team-friendly contracts, does it build camaraderie and esprit de corps to trade for a guy who earns as much as all of the other players?
Team chemistry is a delicate matter, and the Rams are burying the needle right now. But chemistry is never guaranteed. Does Jalen Ramsey fit as the seasoned veteran mentor that this secondary needs so desperately? Or does the meticulous attention to detail and perfectionism create an environment of negative feedback for younger and less-experienced teammates? It's certainly one more checklist item to satisfy to ensure this trade even makes sense.
Financially speaking, this is a railroad crossing trade. That is, before the Rams pull the trigger, the entire football organization needs to stop, look, and listen. It requires many transactions to pull an NFL team from money-matter woes to fiscal health. But it only takes one ill-conceived trade, contract extension, or free agent acquisition to put the team right back into penniless peril once more.
The Miami Dolphins are not willing to trade Jalen Ramsey because they see him as a bargain that they no longer deserve. They are willing to part ways with Ramsey because their front office no longer views him as worth his current compensation. Caveat emptor means let the buyer beware.
Why trading for Jalen Ramsey makes perfect sense
The Los Angeles Rams have 10 cornerbacks on the roster. In terms of numbers, that is more than enough players. But, in terms of starting caliber talent, there are significant questions among the group. And significant questions are not what you want to see after an NFL projected contender has emerged from the NFL Free Agency market, the NFL Draft, and the post-draft signing spree of collegiate free agents.
Of the Rams current cornerbacks, let's review their height and weight (starters in bold):
- Cobie Durant- 5-foot-11 | 182 pounds
- Emmanuel Forbes - 6-foot-0 | 180 pounds
- Derion Kendrick - 6-foot-0 | 199 pounds
- Josh Wallace - 6-foot-0 | 189 pounds
- Darious Williams - 5-foot-9 | 192 pounds
- Ahkello Witherspoon - 6-foot-2 | 195 pounds
- Shaun Jolly - 5-foot-9 |186 pounds
- Cam Lampkin - 5-foot-11 | 176 pounds
- Charles Woods - 5-foot-11 | 186
- A.J. Green - 6-foot-2 | 198 pounds
Jalen Ramsey stands 6-foot-1, weighs 208 pounds, and is as physical as a linebacker. That physicality is seldom discussed, but having benefited from Ramsey's ability to play the run, shed blockers, and plug the edge, it is one of his best contributions to the defense. And with his Velcro-like coverage skills, that says quite a bit. And the Rams know that they must up their run defense to defeat the Philadelphia Eagles.
Ramsey is more than a tough guy in the secondary. He is incredibly savvy at defending the pass. For the Dolphins, he allowed just 65 receptions out of 110 targets, a completion rate of just 59 percent. And he picked off five interceptions while allowing just four touchdowns over that period. He has 82 tackles, 16 pass deflections, four quarterback hits, and 1.0 quarterback sacks over that time frame as well. He may no longer be a shut-down corner, but he's better than anyone on the Rams roster right now.
As young as the Rams roster has waxed of late, the team is still very much depending on veteran leadership to win games in 2025. The veterans of this team remain QB Matthew Stafford, RT Rob Havenstein, TE Tyler Higbee, newly signed WR Davante Adams, and on defense, CB Darious Williams. Ramsey is a natural addition to these veterans. It was the combination of Ramsey and Williams that was so effective in the Rams' secondary in the past.
The Rams are contending to win Super Bowl LX. The bottom line question is: Does Jalen Ramsey help this team's chances? In almost every way conceivable, Ramsey gives the Rams a much better chance of winning in the regular season and the NFL Playoffs. He just does.
What I love most about the Ramsey-Rams reunion scenario is how the Rams have upgraded the safety positions since Ramsey last played for the team. Until 2022, the best safety in the Rams' secondary was John Johnson III. Now the Rams boast Quentin Lake, Kamren Curl, Kamren Kinchens, and Jaylen McCollough. All four safeties are adept at pass coverage and creating turnovers.
Inserting Ramsey into the secondary frees up opportunistic defensive backs to make even more plays on the football. The Rams' defense not only improves pass coverage, but they also level up their turnover creation as well.
Which way are NFL rumors leaning?
The first stop for any NFL rumors starts at the point of origin. Far too often, trade scenarios are generated from the 'what if...?' category in the offseason, and that thought process suddenly ignites into rumors. But in this case, the NFL rumors about the Miami Dolphins placing Jalen Ramsey on the trading block are in play:
While the next stop of NFL rumors about a veteran player is to instantly and automatically link him to any former coaches or teams, the connection between the Los Angeles Rams and former All-Pro defensive back Jalen Ramsey is real. The Dolphins acquired Ramsey from the Los Angeles Rams after the 2022 NFL season for a Round 3 pick (which became OLB Byron Young) and TE Hunter Long.
Now that Jalen Ramsey is back on the move, the Rams situation lends itself to becoming a logical landing site for him once again. The Rams are a solid team that is very much in the hunt for postseason success. The team knows Ramsey, and Ramsey knows the team. Best of all, the Rams roster has a logical need for an accomplished veteran cornerback:
For the next step in the process, there is a need for the Rams and Dolphins to discuss the matter. While it's almost a certainty that NFL team GMs touch base on every trade rumor, Rams GM Les Snead confirmed that he had contacted the Dolphins over the topic of Jalen Ramsey, and due to the proximity of the 2025 NFL Draft, they agreed to table discussions.
Curiously, the Rams did not select a cornerback during the 2025 NFL Draft. Nor did the Rams sign a cornerback after the draft. The Miami Dolphins did, however, select a cornerback. The drafted Florida CB Jason Marshall Jr. with the 150th overall pick of the draft. The Dolphins also signed two cornerbacks after the draft: BJ Adams out of Central Florida and Ethan Robinson out of Minnesota.
The Dolphins added three cornerbacks. The Rams added zero cornerbacks.
Even HC Sean McVay tiptoed around the question, suggesting that the Rams would never rule out such a reunion. In coachspeak, Sean McVay might as well have said that the Rams are looking into trading for Ramsey around the clock. But actions speak louder than words. The Rams had every opportunity to stand pat and select one of the top rookie cornerbacks in the 2025 NFL Draft.
They didn't.
And so, the Rams roster still needs a cornerback. Is Jalen Ramsey the missing piece? By all likelihood, he is the last opportunity for the front office to address the need now. The Rams have earned a reputation as a team that makes blockbuster trades. This scenario fits that pattern.
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:
- Tre'Davious White chapter
- Darious Williams/Ahkello Witherspoon/Cobie Durant chapter
- Rams season finale chapter
- 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.
