Jalen Ramsey should be Kansas City Chiefs top trade target

Let me go ahead and get this out of the way; yes, Kansas City Chiefs fans, you want Jalen Ramsey. Right now you are talking yourself out of it. He has an attitude. We don’t need his antics. He could be a cancer in the locker room. Etc.

I hear you, and I understand. I really do. I promise you, though, when Jalen Ramsey is locking down Antonio Brown in the AFC Championship game, and he intercepts the ball to seal the game to send the Kansas City Chiefs to the Super Bowl, all of those fears will evaporate.

The fact of the matter is that winning can cure a lot. That goes for the fans AND the attitude of Ramsey. Before we dive into just why this franchise needs a player like Ramsey, I’ll try to help calm your fears on why the Jags cornerback may be a little misunderstood, add some context to his behavior, and hopefully shine some insight into why it would be different in Kansas City.

Let’s start with the most recent and obvious.

People think because of the recent game between the Chiefs and Jaguars, where there was some escalated situations among players, that bad blood may exist between the two sides. This shouldn’t really bother you. I know Ramsey was the player who tackled Tyreek Hill on the play that hurt his shoulder.

The hit, to me anyway, didn’t seem extra malicious. He landed on Hill wrong, mouthed a little after the play, and that was that. After the game, Ramsey even reached out to Hill to try and make sure there was no hard feelings between the two. This brings me to my first and most important point about Jalen Ramsey; he’s not a villian

Ramsey didn’t have to reach out to Hill. He has been critical of Hill’s play in the past, but Ramsey himself summed it up perfectly. “…Of course I’m going to talk my smack and do whatever, but there was no foul play.”

Ramsey continued after that by saying, “Every game, most people don’t know this, but every game before the game I pray and I pray for safety and health. Of course we go out there and we do, in a sense, try to hurt each other, gain an advantage, but we don’t want anybody to have serious injuries ever.” His Twitter reflects this sentiment, as he tweeted this after the Chiefs and Jaguars game.

I know this won’t be enough for some, but it supports an overarching theme in Ramey’s career, and that is he isn’t anywhere near a locker room cancer. His teammates have always supported him. Even the cheap shot he threw at Demarcus Robinson was in defense of his teammate (Myles Jack was way out of line, of course).

On that play, however, both Sammy Watkins and Robinson were guilty of roughing Jack up. Two fines issued by the league to both players backed that up. Ramsey wasn’t being a punk, he was standing up for his teammate. If someone hit Patrick Mahomes late out of bounds on the Chiefs sideline, you can bet Ramsey would be among the first to stand up for his quarterback, penalty be damned.

This kind of loyalty is polarizing. Ramsey is the the type of player you hate if you play, but you love if he is on your team. That kind of swagger and attitude can be invaluable from the cornerback position. Ramsey is controversial in the same way that Odell Beckham is. Their attitudes may rub some the wrong way, but it stems from a passion and desire to win.

The old adage that winning cures all is true here as well. Most of Ramsey’s frustration tends to come from the fact that despite authoring one dominant defensive performance after the other, it hardly ever ends with a win.

The Jaguars held teams to 20 points or less in 2018 ten times. They only won five of those games, which also happened to be their only wins of the season. Of those five wins, the Jaguars allowed 59 total points, or less than 12 points a game. That has to be frustrating to a team that had high hopes for their 2018 campaign.

Another thing to consider is that the Chiefs have a strong locker room. Many don’t want Ramsey to mess up that chemistry. My argument would be that is the perfect situation for him to come into. It has vocal and established leaders. The kind of players and coaches who can keep Ramsey in check.

The reality is that probably won’t even be necessary. Ramsey’s teammates love the guy. Ramsey has came out publicly and heavily defended Blake Bortles in the past. Blake. Bortles. If you are the type of person who can, with a straight face,  defend the play of Bortles, then you can be trusted in the locker room.

I know even after all that, some fans of the team still won’t be sold. They won’t like his attitude, demeanor, antics, and everything that comes with Jalen Ramsey. I’m here to say, that is 110% okay. You don’t have to.

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The simple fact is there is a ton of players in the league you probably wouldn’t be friends with. Ramsey is an elite corner though, which is our team’s biggest need. I will never ask you to enjoy Ramsey the person. But he isn’t a criminal. He doesn’t abuse PED’s. He doesn’t do anything that actually hurts someone. It is okay to have someone on our team that we don’t personally like.

Now that I have all of that off my chest, let’s cover the football aspect of this potential trade. The truth is, I won’t spend a lot of time on it because it is obvious. Jalen Ramsey makes the Kansas City Chiefs better. Like, a ton better. It’s not only in the fact that they need a corner. It is the type of corner Ramsey is and what he means for the defense as a whole.

Ramsey has been in the NFL since 2016, which is also the only year he hasn’t been named to the Pro Bowl. On top of his two Pro Bowls, Ramsey has a First Team All-Pro nod to his name. He is an elite cornerback that is only 24 years old and is under team control for two more years. He has a base salary of $3.6 million in 2019 and $13.7 million in 2020. Those are great numbers for a corner of Ramsey’s talent.

Ramsey is also a perfect fit for the defense. Ramsey is a rare corner who can go one on one with elite receivers. He is fresh of a game holding DeAndre Hopkins to four catches and 55 yards.

Think of the implications of this. The Patriots just signed Antonio Brown. This would be Veach saying “okay, you want to play ball?” Ramsey could shadow Antonio Brown, allowing the defense to add extra attention to Josh Gordon and Julian Edelman. It allows the Chiefs to not have to expose themselves by giving too many players extra attention.

Another thing to consider is the Chiefs only have Rashad Fenton and Charvarius Ward under contract in 2020. Ramsey is a young player who fits the timeline of what the Chiefs are doing. He isn’t an aging corner like Patrick Peterson. Giving up legitimate draft capital will sting less knowing that Jalen could be part of the teams long term plans. The compensation for Ramsey is another area I know Chiefs fans aren’t excited about.

The Chiefs were among the front runners for Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Steelers ended up being the team able to swing a trade, and they gave up a first rounder to do so. It came down to the 0-2 Steelers with no Big Ben having a more valuable pick to give than the Super Bowl favorite Chiefs. A first is also what will reportedly get a deal done for Ramsey.

That means Kansas City was already willing to part with their first rounder anyway.  That is okay.  The Chiefs are going to be picking late in the first round (hopefully) and these picks lose their value drastically as the round progresses.

Another thing to consider is that even if the Chiefs only employ Ramsey for two years, when he walks in free agency, he will qualify for the comp pick formula. This will award the Chiefs a likely third round pick. That will soften the blow of losing that first round pick.

The fact of the matter is that the Chiefs are all in for 2019 season. This is the type of move that can be the difference between a great season and a historic one. One top corner, Minkah Fitzpatrick, is off the market with the trade to the Steelers.

Kansas City can’t let these quality options slip by them for a position of great need. They also need to block Ramsey from going to another potential contender that could hurt them in the postseason and beyond.

Jalen Ramsey is the perfect blend of age, talent, and swagger for a team desperately in need of all three on the defensive side. Going after him is a no brainer. Once he steps on the field in red and starts making plays, everything else will be forgotten.