The Los Angeles Rams powered their option to a Super Bowl LVI title in 2021 by throwing warning to the wind and exchanging a number of draft picks for big-money stars like Jalen Ramsey, Von Miller and others. Now, the invoice seems to have come due in Southern California to the advantage of South Florida’s crew, the Miami Dolphins. The ‘Fins are buying three-time First-Team All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey from the Rams in change for the 77th decide within the 2023 Draft (a 3rd spherical choice), in addition to 24-year-old tight finish Hunter Long.
This blockbuster deal is recent off the grill, however there’s now sufficient info to evaluate some commerce grades.
Trade grades
Dolphins: A
Acquiring a 28-year-old famous person who’s one in every of solely seven gamers in your complete league to make every of the final six Pro Bowls is a big win. Ramsey was Pro Football Focus’ third-highest graded cornerback final season with a grade of 86.4, trailing solely 2022 NFL Defensive Rookie Year of the Year and New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner (87.9) in addition to Denver Broncos 2022 First-Team All-Pro cornerback Pat Surtain II (86.8).
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To be capable of rebound from the failed transfer that was cornerback Byron Jones’ five-year, $82.5 million contract so as to add Ramsey to a secondary with Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard and their promising, 23-year-old security Jevon Holland offers Miami top-of-the-line defensive backfields in your complete NFL. This is a giant deal as a result of the Dolphins will face Josh Allen’s Bills twice, Mac Jones with an precise offensive coordinator twice, and probably Aaron Rodgers’ New York Jets twice. Shoutout to normal supervisor Chris Grier for maximizing the wage cap window supplied by having beginning quarterback Tua Tagovailoa on his rookie deal for 2 extra seasons as he has added All-Pro huge receiver Tyreek Hill, Pro Bowl move rusher Bradley Chubb, and Ramsey through commerce within the final three hundred and sixty five days. The cap might not look as fairly following the 2024 season, however as Grier noticed from the Rams, that is tomorrow’s downside.
Rams: C+
For Los Angeles, the invoice for his or her Super Bowl LVI run is now due, and they’re paying up. On Friday, normal supervisor Les Snead referred to quarterback Matthew Stafford, huge receiver Cooper Kupp, and defensive sort out Aaron Donald because the crew’s “pillars.” Ramsey was noticeably absent from that assertion, indicating he was up for grabs. Following a 5-12 end in 2022, the worst file in NFL historical past for a defending Super Bowl Champion, Snead appropriately realized that their lack of depth brutalized any hopes of staying afloat after accidents to all three of the crew’s pillars final season.
So, he is now making amends to make sure the Rams are a deeper crew in 2023 with the decide up of a further third spherical decide plus 24-year-old tight finish Hunter Long. He’s a pleasant backup to Tyler Higbee, however the draft decide is the actual prize right here for the reason that Rams’ sixth general draft decide belongs to the Detroit Lions this April due to the Stafford commerce. Thanks to this deal, Los Angeles now has three picks within the draft’s first three rounds, however they’re one second spherical decide and two thirds. Snead can sit up for making a primary spherical decide for the primary time since taking Jared Goff first general in 2016 within the 2024 NFL Draft. It would’ve been good to get not less than a second rounder again within the deal for a participant of Ramsey’s caliber, however the Rams aren’t able with leverage coming into this offseason.
