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Nick Foles went down and somehow that won’t be the biggest loss for the Jaguars this season. Jalen Ramsey, believed by almost everyone to be the league’s best cornerback, is reportedly on his way out after getting into an argument with the human embodiment of a parking ticket Doug Marrone.
The Jaguars have made a practice of making poor team decisions. Just off the top of my head, they extended Blake Bortles despite overwhelming evidence that was both unnecessary and unwise ($16.5 million in dead money this season), they overpaid Nick Foles not because of competition but because they thought quarterbacks should be highly paid, drafted Taven Bryan, and hired the likes of Marrone and Tom Coughlin. Getting rid of the best player they have had in the last decade instead of trying to fix the relationship is pure DUUUUUUVVVVVVVVVAAAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLL.
The most interesting thing is the level of interest in Ramsey, which oddly has not made the Jaguars rethink shipping him off.
I'm told Jalen Ramsey is fine playing TNF tonight, but a source just told me he doesn't anticipate being a member of the #Jags next Sun. Teams like KC, BAL, MIN, OAK, PHI, SEA hv all made substantive inquiries, but my understanding is almost every team has at least placed a call.
— ig: josinaanderson (@JosinaAnderson) September 19, 2019
That’s right, almost every team has shown at least some level of interest in Ramsey. Are the Falcons in on that? He sounds like a Dan Quinn corner: 6-foot-1, 194-pounds with 4.41 40 speed. That all translates to the field, as he is consistently dominant and only 24 years-old.
Ramsey would be a big improvement for the secondary. With the team’s Super Bowl window looking like it may close in 3 to 4 years, it makes sense to trade a 1st round pick or two to add the best corner in the league. However, the chance of Atlanta landing Ramsey is low. Atlanta has draft picks but no cap space. If they trade a slew of draft picks for Ramsey, they have to get a deal done in order to make sure he is more than expensive rental. Ramsey would or should holdout next year if he is still on his rookie deal.
If the Falcons decide to go bold and make a trade for Ramsey, they will pay for it by losing multiple draft picks and multiple existing players. His deal would freeze out Austin Hooper and Vic Beasley, and probably be the end for players like Desmond Trufant, Devonta Freeman, and Mohamed Sanu. None of those players are irreplaceable but the Falcons won’t have the picks or the cash to add replacements.