Friday night came with some big news in the NFL. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Los Angeles Rams “have had trade talks” involving star cornerback Jalen Ramsey. He added that “league sources now believe it’s very likely Ramsey is dealt in coming weeks,” in a deal that would help the Rams clear much-needed cap space.

Could the New England Patriots be one of the teams making that call? Should they be?

The Patriots are still in search of their next true ‘No. 1’ cornerback, following the departure of J.C. Jackson last year and Stephon Gilmore the year before that. As many will point out, Bill Belichick’s defenses – and Patriots teams as a whole – are at their best when the team has a true shutout man corner on the outside. Is Ramsey the next guy to step into the spot held by greats like Ty Law, Aqib Talib, Darrelle Revis, and Gilmore?

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• Ramsey, who will turn 29 next season, certainly has the resume that fits with that kind of role. He’s a six-time Pro Bowler and three-time All-Pro. He also has the imposing size for a cornerback at 6-foot-1, 208 pounds and plays with a physical nature.

  However, football is a ‘what have you done for me lately’ sport. Ramsey’s resume is impressive, but that was built over seven years in the NFL. What has he done most recently, in the 2022 season?

  According to PFF, Ramsey was targeted 86 times last year in 17 games. That averaged out to him being targeted on one of every seven coverage snaps, which was the eighth-highest rate in the league among the 24 cornerbacks to play at least 600 coverage snaps over the course of the season.

  On those targets, he allowed 56 catches (a 65.1 percent completion percentage against) for 712 yards (12.7 yards per catch), with seven touchdowns while picking off four passes and breaking up another 11. That gave opposing quarterbacks a 98.6 passer rating when targeting Ramsey, which ranked 18th-highest among the 24 cornerbacks in the group mentioned above. He was also penalized six times.

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  Oct 16, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey (5) in the first half against the Carolina Panthers at SoFi Stadium. Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

• Some will to Ramsey’s PFF grade – they had him as the third-highest graded cornerback in football last year with a 86.4 overall grade. There’s an interesting breakdown to that number though. HIs grade is buoyed by a 98.1 run defense grade and 91.1 pass rush grade. His coverage grade of 77.8 was 7th among qualifying cornerbacks, although he only eclipsed that number in single games three times (against the Falcons in Week 2, the Cardinals without DeAndre Hopkins in Week 3, and the Seahawks in Week 18).

  Those numbers aren’t terrible, but they’re not elite tier either. There’s a reason Ramsey didn’t make an All-Pro team in 2022, the first time he hasn’t in three years.

  What’s more concerning though is Ramsey’s performance against some of the AFC’s top offenses. After watching J.C. Jackson struggle against Stefon Diggs for most of his time in New England, it became clear the Patriots need a cornerback who can hang with Diggs if they want to get past Buffalo. Really, any major acquisition the Patriots make this offseason should be about ‘how does this help catch Buffalo?,’ a question that can fairly be extrapolated to include other AFC contenders like the Bengals and Chiefs.

  Ramsey may not be an answer in that regard. In the opener against Buffalo last year, he allowed five catches on six targets for 103 yards and two touchdowns.

  Another team the Patriots will need to ‘get through’ in the AFC are those Cincinnati Bengals. Last time Ramsey faced them – in Super Bowl LVI – he allowed five catches on nine targets for 160 yards and a score.

• It’s not just the AFC’s best he struggled against last year. Here’s his numbers against other teams with ‘elite’ wide receivers in 2022…

  Week 9 at Tampa Bay: 13 targets, 10 catches allowed, 92 yards

  Week 10 vs Cardinals: 11 targets, 8 catches allowed, 71 yards

  Week 11 at Saints: 6 targets, 5 catches allowed, 84 yards, 2 TDs

  Week 14 vs Raiders: 7 targets, 4 catches allowed, 96 yards

  Week 16 vs Broncos: 10 targets, 5 catches allowed, 78 yards, INT

  There were two exceptions, where Ramsey played some of  his best games against elite passing offenses. Against the Chargers in Week 17, he was targeted just four times and allowed a total of 31 receiving yards on three catches. He also allowed just one catch on three targets against the Chiefs in Week 12, but Kansas City’s receiving strength is at the tight end position, not wide receiver.

  So Ramsey had his moments in 2022, but inconsistency was an issue. For a cornerback entering his age 29 season, that’s notable – especially given how cornerbacks historically drop off at the age of 30.

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  Sep 25, 2022; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey (5) warms up prior to facing the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

• There were bright moment’s in Ramsey’s game last year. Flashes of his All-Pro ability, although they were less consistent than in years past. But maybe in a better environment (the Rams were a dumpster fire last year) he’d get back to his old self?

  That’s a fair question to ask. But this is where we need to bring in Ramsey’s current contract situation.

  Any team that acquires Ramsey via trade would  instantly get hit with a $17 million cap hit for 2023. If they want to keep him beyond that, the cap hits in 2024 and 2025 would be $18.5 million and $19.5 million respectively, although there’s no dead money on the final two years of the deal (there would be a $12.5 million cap charge if he was acquired then cut in 2023). It’s also possible Ramsey could work out an extension/restructure, but that still likely wouldn’t come cheap.

  All above numbers via Patriots salary cap expert Miguel Benzan.

  So that brings us to the big questions – would a move for Ramsey be worth it for the Patriots? How much of last year’s performance was due to the unstable nature of the 2022 Rams, versus natural regression?

  Could a change of scenery be enough to get Ramsey back on track to playing at an All-Pro level? Possibly. But should the Patriots be willing to bet $17 million in cap space and a premium draft pick on it? That answer is way more complicated, as we’ve laid out here.

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  INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – SEPTEMBER 18: Jalen Ramsey #5 of the Los Angeles Rams reacts after an incomplete pass during the second quarter against the Atlanta Falcons at SoFi Stadium on September 18, 2022 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

• Keep in mind cornerback isn’t the Patriots’ only need, and it’s certainly not the biggest. Those other needs are at premium positions too and will take premium assets to fill. The team needs at least one of not two starting tackles, as well as a No. 1 wide receiver. Giving up the assets needed for Ramsey, especially if the draft asset is a premium (top 100) pick, likely takes at least one premium player at one of those other two positions off the table (the deal becomes much more palatable if it involves a late Day 3 pick or pick swap).

  Cornerback is still a need of course, but it’s just not as pressing. Jalen Mills, Jack Jones, and Marcus Jones are still all under contract for the 2023 season. This is also an incredibly deep draft at the cornerback position as well. What the team really needs in that room is size (and that is a major need), but they don’t need to extend themselves this much to fill that need. There pending free agents at the position (James Bradberry, Jamel Dean, Marcus Peters) who can fill that role and will cost less, and also not require the team to give up a draft pick.

  Now there is one other scenario in which the Patriots could acquire Ramsey. If the Rams can’t find a taker for his contract, they could end up releasing him. If that’s the case, he’d be at the top of the cornerback group mentioned above as free agents. With less of a cap hit and no draft pick involved, the acquisition would make a lot more sense.

  Ultimately, the Patriots will likely do their due diligence on Ramsey and make a decision. He didn’t fall all the way off last season, and the situation in LA was anything but stable. There’s too much there to just dismiss his availability entirely. If he comes cheap, great. But if a bidding war breaks out, a big swing may be needed. In that case, the Patriots might want to consider spending their assets elsewhere.

• Alex Barth is a writer and digital producer for 985TheSportsHub.com. Any opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect those of 98.5 The Sports Hub, Beasley Media Group, or any subsidiaries. Thoughts? Comments? Questions? Looking for a podcast guest? Let him know on Twitter @RealAlexBarth or via email at abarth@985TheSportsHub.com.

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