The Washington Commanders might be ready to shake things up on the defensive side of the ball.
Outkick’s Armando Salguero reported on April 24 that the Commanders have reached out to the Miami Dolphins about a possible trade for 3-time NFL All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey, who has indicated he prefers his next team be a title contender.
“The Dolphins have talked to the Rams, Falcons, Lions, Commanders, Eagles and others,” Salguero wrote. “The problem here is not draft compensation. Ramsey, if traded, may go for a fifth-round pick or thereabouts. The issue is the $25.2 million Miami would have to swallow in dead cap if the trade happens before June 1. So any team wanting to make this trade now might be asked to provide the Dolphins with some cap relief on that number.”
On April 15, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported that Ramsey and the Dolphins were looking at trade options.
“The #Dolphins and seven-time Pro Bowl CB Jalen Ramsey are mutually set to explore trade options and it wouldn’t be a surprise if he played elsewhere in 2025, per me and (Pelissero),” Rapoport wrote on his official X account on April 15. “Miami and Ramsey, due $25.1M fully guaranteed this season, could be parting ways … While there is no firm deadline on a possible trade, with the NFL Draft 9 days away, completing a trade prior to the draft would make sense — if only so Miami can use the pick or picks they would acquire for Ramsey.”
Commanders Would Likely Release Lattimore in Trade
Getting Ramsey would require not just one move but likely a series of moves. The first of those would be freeing up salary cap space to get Ramsey and his $25.1 million salary on the books — even if that’s not the final amount — which would likely mean cutting veteran cornerback Marshon Lattimore and saving $16 million in salary cap space.
Then, there’s what Ramsey brings back in a trade. In this case the Dolphins want a draft pick, which the Commanders only have 5 of this year. In this case, Ramsey would still be worth giving up their 2025 fourth round pick (No. 128 overall).
There’s also the possibility that a team might want to trade up to get the Commanders’ No. 29 overall pick in the first round and give Washington an extra draft pick — one they could potentially deal for Ramsey.
ESPN’s Field Yates predicts the Cleveland Browns could be one team looking to add an extra pick in the first round. Yates’ prediction has the Commanders trade the No. 29 overall pick in the first round to the Browns in exchange for the Browns’ second round pick (No. 34 overall) and a fourth round pick (No. 104 overall) so the the Browns can select Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders.
Ramsey, the No. 5 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars, is also a 7-time Pro Bowler and has been one of the NFL’s dominant cornerbacks over the last decade, with a Super Bowl win with the Los Angeles Rams following the 2021 season. Through 9 seasons, Ramsey has approximately $118.2 million in career earnings.
