Why the Rams acquisition of Jalen Ramsey actually benefits the 49ers
After almost a month since his initial trade demand, All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey is finally on his way out of Jacksonville. The Jaguars have traded away Ramsey to the Los Angeles Rams in exchange for their first-round picks in 2020 and 2021, along with a fourth-rounder in 2021. It is the biggest haul any team has received for a cornerback.
You can’t help but think that the San Francisco 49ers caused this sudden change for the Rams since they absolutely demolished them last Sunday. Prior to trading for Jalen Ramsey, the Rams sent away Marcus Peters to the Ravens and acquired center Austin Corbett from the Browns.
So the Rams basically switched Ramsey with Peters to significantly improved their secondary. However, the cost to get Ramsey to just take away one player on offense was astronomically high.
That is why the Rams acquisition of Jalen Ramsey actually benefits the 49ers.
By giving up their first-round picks for the next two years, the Los Angeles Rams officially do not have a first-round draft choice over the next five years. The Rams are mortgaging the future for the present and if you’re the 49ers you are ecstatic about it. All of these decisions that they have made are not conducive to long-term success.
Meanwhile, the 49ers have a strong core of young players with the future looking bright. This is why both Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch have remained adamant about not forcing a trade. It has to be the right value and not an act of desperation. Kind of what the Rams are doing right now.
Now that they have given up so much draft capital to acquire Jalen Ramsey, the next step is going to be to sign him long-term. That’ll most likely make him the highest paid cornerback in the NFL, which will limit the Rams significantly. The top five highest paid corners are on losing teams, except Xavier Rhodes, and that is not a coincidence.
Teams get so attracted to these elite corners that they forget that they can only takeaway one player. It’s not like a pass rusher who can impact every level of the defense by making everyone better. With so much money tied up into one player, it makes it difficult to add quality players at other positions.
Not to mention the amount of money that is already tied up with Jared Goff, Todd Gurley, Aaron Donald and Brandin Cooks.
That is what the Rams are looking at for their future on top of having no first-round picks. All the pressure is now on Sean McVay and Jared Goff to carry the team to the playoffs. Excuses will not be tolerated for them this season if the come up short of a significant run at the Super Bowl.
When it comes to the bigger picture, the San Francisco 49ers are in a much better spot than the Rams. In the short-term, Ramsey doesn't really dramatically impact the 49ers the next time these two teams meet. Does he make the secondary of the Rams better? Of course he does, but an elite cornerback wasn't the missing ingredient for success.
The Rams could have had Ramsey last Sunday and the 49ers still would have came out with a win because they do not rely so heavily on their pass game. Ramsey hardly impacts the run game, so his acquisition in the short-term shouldn't bother the 49ers.
There is no need to go after a wide receiver via trade just because of this addition. Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch have operated well when it comes to configuring their personnel. They got guys who are young and talented, so that they can keep the group together to continue to be dominant for years to come.
Whereas the Los Angeles Rams' trade for Jalen Ramsey is a bit on the reckless side. This is a move that was made on emotion, which rarely works out for teams because it causes irrational decisions. Or this move could have been just to add a star player to attract more fans to the games. The 49er faithful did take over the L.A. Coliseum last Sunday, which is alarming.
Regardless of why they traded for Jalen Ramsey, it is a decision that is going to backfire on the Rams. With all their chips being put on 2019, it only benefits the San Francisco 49ers who are poised to take control of the division this season and beyond.
