Rob Issa, FISM News
Jalen Ramsey is the most recent athlete to take his talents to South Beach.
The Miami Dolphins agreed to acquire the three-time All-Pro cornerback from the Los Angeles Rams in a trade on Sunday. The Dolphins will send a third-round pick in the 2023 NFL draft and tight end Hunter Long to the Rams in return.
The 28-year-old Ramsey helped the Rams win a Super Bowl after the 2021 season. But Los Angeles is going through a rebuild and the Dolphins need to shore up a defense that struggled in 2022.
“I prayed for this specifically for about a month & now it’s happening!” Ramsey posted on Twitter shortly after the teams agreed to the deal.
I prayed for this specifically for about a month & now it’s happening! 🙏🏾@MiamiDolphins LETSGO! 🧡
— Jalen Ramsey (@jalenramsey) March 12, 2023
Ramsey is an outspoken Christian. He calls himself a “Child of God through my faith in Christ” in his bio on Twitter and often uses his platform to proclaim his belief in Jesus.
The Rams traded two first-round picks and a fourth to get Ramsey from the Jacksonville Jaguars in the middle of the 2019 season. The steep price paid off as Ramsey played an integral role on defense during Los Angeles’ championship run.
A six-time Pro Bowl pick, Ramsey joins four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Xavien Howard in Miami’s secondary. The Dolphins had the NFL’s sixth-worst pass defense in 2022.
Ramsey’s trade is the latest major move in the NFL entering the free agency period, which starts Wednesday. The legal tampering period opens Monday.
DRAFT BOARD SHAKEUP
On Friday, the Carolina Panthers shook up next month’s draft by acquiring the No. 1 overall pick from the Chicago Bears.
The Panthers are sending the No. 9 and No. 61 overall picks in 2023, a first-round pick in 2024, a second-round pick in 2025, and star wide receiver D.J. Moore to Chicago.
The move up allows Carolina to have its pick from the pool of quarterbacks in this year’s draft after using several starters at that position in recent years. Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, Alabaman’s Bryce Young, Kentucky’s Will Levis, and Florida’s Anthony Richardson are the top four prospects.
The Panthers haven’t picked first since taking Cam Newton with No. 1 overall in 2011. Newton was the NFL MVP in 2015 and helped the Panthers reach the Super Bowl.
“You go get the guy that you want, you know,” Panthers general manager Scott Fitterer said at the scouting combine about potentially trading up for a quarterback. “If you have a conviction on a guy, you go get him. It’s pretty simple that way. If you don’t know and you’re going to give all these resources to go up and get it, you’re hurting your team in the long run. You better be right. You better have conviction if you do move up. When you do that, you’re all in.”
New Panthers coach Frank Reich values stability at quarterback after starting the season with a different QB five years in a row with the Indianapolis Colts.
“It’s a big deal,” Reich said. “I’m looking forward to the process.”
RODGERS UNCERTAINTY
The next big trade in the NFL could involve four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers. The Green Bay Packers gave Rodgers permission last week to meet with the New York Jets. Rodgers, who has spent his entire career with the Packers, is taking time to decide whether he wants to retire, return to play in Green Bay, or seek a trade to the Jets.
“We’re really hopeful that we can reach a resolution that works not only for Aaron but for us,” Packers CEO Mark Murphy told Green Bay television station WCWF on Saturday. “It’s in everybody’s interest to resolve it sooner rather than later.”
In another interview with Green Bay’s WBAY TV, Murphy compared Rodgers’ situation to the Packers trading Hall of Fame quarterback Brett Favre to the Jets in 2008.
“Very few players play for only one team,” Murphy told the station. “Obviously, Brett had a great career. Aaron had a great career here. Regardless of what happens, Aaron will be in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. He’ll be in our Hall of Fame. We’ll bring him back, retire his number. This is just one of the things that we go through as a team. We want to try to achieve something that’s good for both Aaron and us.”