Could the Buffalo Bills trade for former All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey?
On Friday, it was reported by Tom Pelissero with the NFL Network that the Los Angeles Rams had trade talks involving former All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey. He was the fifth overall pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2016 and played three and half seasons in Jacksonville before being traded midseason to the Los Angeles Rams during the 2019 season.
During his time in the NFL, Ramsey has been regarded as one of the best cornerbacks in the league with eight Pro Bowl nominations and three first-team All-Pro selections, including twice in the past three seasons.
On Monday, Peter King listed some teams in his weekly article that might be interested in trading for Jalen Ramsey and specifically mentioned teams towards the end of the first round, which he believes is the compensation needed to get a trade done. He mentioned the Kansas City Chiefs, Dallas Cowboys, and Buffalo Bills as teams that could be interested.
"My projection is the Rams could get something between a low first-round pick this year (Dallas, Buffalo and Kansas City could be interested, and pick between 26 and 31 overall) and a package of picks—perhaps a low two this year, and a fourth-rounder this year or next, that could rise depending on performance or play-time markers Ramsey could meet."
Buffalo Bills should avoid the temptation to trade for Jalen Ramsey
Last year, the cornerback position was an area of concern at different points of the season. The Bills began the season without their top cornerback, Tre’Davious White, as he was recovering from a torn ACL.
The Bills entered the season with a relatively inexperienced group of Dane Jackson, and rookies Kaiir Elam and Christian Benford. As the season went along, the Bills would see Jackson and Benford miss an extended period of time that put more pressure on the position.
However, the future outlook for this group is good with Tre’Davious White now over a year removed from his injury and hopefully returning to his All-Pro level. In addition, Kaiir Elam showed he could be a starting cornerback and made some big plays down the stretch, like the interception against the Miami Dolphins in the AFC Wild Card Game.
The Bills may want to add another cornerback at some point, either in free agency or the NFL Draft, with Dane Jackson set to be a restricted free agent and Christian Benford potentially moving to safety. However, trading a first round pick for Jalen Ramsey would essentially waste two picks because it means Kaiir Elam, the team’s first round pick last year, moves to a backup role.
It would certainly create headlines in the NFL but the Buffalo Bills have more pressing needs on their roster that they shouldn’t even entertain the idea of trading for Jalen Ramsey.