5 teams that should trade for Jalen Ramsey
The latest bombshell during an already eventful NFL season came on Monday night when reports of Jalen Ramsey requesting a trade out of Jacksonville surfaced.
The reported asking price of a first-round pick and more shouldn't be scaring away draft-focused teams. Ramsey, who's a two-time Pro Bowler and still just 24 years old, is arguably the league's No. 1 cornerback.
Here's are five teams that could, and should, immediately be on the phone with Tom Coughlin and Co. to take advantage of the rare opportunity to land such a talent.
Patriots
The rich get richer. And richer.
New England is all-in on another Super Bowl run after adding Antonio Brown just prior to the 2019 season. That came mere months after the Patriots reportedly offered a first-round pick to the Steelers for the star receiver, but they were rebuffed because Pittsburgh didn't want to deal him to an AFC rival.
So don't be surprised if Bill Belichick again floats a first-round pick, and more, to bring in a generational cover man who would give the defending champs the top cornerback tandem in football when lined up opposite Stephon Gilmore.
The 2019 Patriots already feel eerily similar to the team that went undefeated in 2007. Adding Ramsey would ensure the club is prepared for the biggest obstacle, a Patrick Mahomes-led offense in Kansas City, that stands between New England and another championship.
Chiefs
Speaking of the Chiefs, don't expect the AFC's other juggernaut to sit idle and not explore this opportunity.
Andy Reid and the rest of the organization know that, with Mahomes still on his rookie contract and a phenomenal group of playmakers around him, this is the time to strike. If you're running a team likely to be picking at the end of the first round, using that pick to reel in an All-Pro cornerback shouldn't even make you blink.
Like the moves to acquire Tyrann Mathieu and Frank Clark in the offseason - two other top young talents - Ramsey would be a major addition that can help a once-dreadful Chiefs defense support the high-flying unit on the other side, both now and for years to come.
Browns
You'd be hard-pressed to find an executive working the phones harder than Browns general manager John Dorsey.
Since the calendar turned to 2019, the dealmaker has acquired Olivier Vernon, Odell Beckham Jr., and Eric Murray through trades, Sheldon Richardson in free agency, and rookie Greedy Williams after moving up during the second round of the draft.
The message is clear: The Browns want to win now.
Cleveland possesses the talent to do that, but its secondary is still relying primarily on youngsters. Denzel Ward, the team's 2018 first-round pick, and Williams currently man the Browns' starting corner spots.
If the Browns are serious about contending, they could use an experienced and proven difference-maker to lock down the opposition's top receiver while Vernon, Myles Garrett, Larry Ogunjobi, and Richardson wreak havoc up front.
The Browns are done stockpiling draft picks, and they're now in a position to deal those assets to contend.
Raiders
Typically, players seeking trades are linked to contenders. The Raiders certainly aren't contending, but acquiring a young talent of Ramsey's caliber at a premium position makes this situation different. And so does the Jon Gruden factor.
Oakland holds an extra first-round pick in the 2020 draft following the Khalil Mack trade, and you can bet Gruden will be licking his chops at the prospect of using that selection to acquire a stud cornerback in his prime, especially after Mahomes lit up the Raiders' secondary in Week 2.
Making this fit more interesting is the fact Ramsey recently identified the Raiders as a team he'd like to join if he moved on from the Jaguars, citing an interest in playing in Las Vegas.
It's fair to wonder if the Raiders might be gun shy after the Antonio Brown trade blew up in their faces. But come on, this is Jon Gruden we're talking about. Knock on wood if you're with us.
Packers
Green Bay's typical modus operandi is to develop through the draft. But that was under the previous regime.
These new-age Packers spend money, as evidenced by their free-agency spending spree on defenders Za'Darius Smith, Preston Smith, and Adrian Amos.
The Pack shouldn't stop there. Already 2-0 after division wins over the Bears and Vikings, Green Bay could put its rivals further in the rearview by acquiring Ramsey, a 2017 All-Pro who could put the team over the top.
The Packers are currently relying on Jaire Alexander and Kevin King at cornerback, their first picks of the past two drafts. The former is a budding star, while the latter has disappointed.
Seeking to pair Ramsey with Alexander for the foreseeable future, Green Bay could offer a package that includes King and their likely mid-to-late first-round pick in 2020.