Where there’s smoke, there’s fire: The saying is an old one, but the trade of Jalen Ramsey to the Miami Dolphins proved it to be true. The cornerback – 3-time All-Pro and Super Bowl winner for the Los Angeles Rams – now heads to Florida, to play under Vic Fangio, hired by the Dolphins this year to coordinate the defense. Sean McVay’s franchise is now following its restructuring process, something expected after spending a lot in 2021 to win the title.
The price for Ramsey was steep: Miami sent its 77th pick (third round) of the next draft and tight end Hunter Long to Los Angeles for the defender. The player will occupy US$ 17 million on the Dolphins’ sheet. The Rams inherit $19.6 million in their cap, which should be spread between 2023 and 2024, with possibly the trade being designated to be official on June 1.
complete change
Fangio arrived and with him a system change is expected in the Dolphins. If Josh Boyer – coordinator that head coach Mike McDaniel inherited from the previous management – was known for loving sending blitzes and playing in individual coverage, with Fangio the structure must be very different. The veteran coach prefers to work in the zone, with two safeties in the back of the field, generating pressure with only 4 men. For that, he prioritizes defensive backs with the ability to react quickly to the game and Ramsey has plenty of that.
Even turning 29 in the course of 2023, the former Rams is still a top-level player, having 18 passes defended and 4 interceptions last season. Physical, he reads the quarterback’s eyes very well and anticipates plays. That way, even being in the back of the field, he manages to make plays closer to scrimmage, something Fangio loves, as he uses cover-4 a lot, coverage in which the cornerback covers the side in depth.
Versatility matters
Another important point of Ramsey’s arrival is his versatility. In his Los Angeles years, he was seen in a variety of lineups and roles. Often, Ramsey would line in the slot to cover a short zone or prevent an unfavorable matchup against the opponent’s top receiver, moved inside to try to create an advantage. We also saw Ramsey going after tight ends, guarding George Kittle one-on-one, as his size – he measures 1.85m – allows for that.
All this flexibility is important to Fangio: one of the premises of the veteran coordinator is to disguise coverage and few do it as well as he does. Since Ramsey is capable of producing well in a variety of roles, it’s possible he’ll be seen running around the field, bringing a pre-snap hassle for quarterbacks to identify coverages.
With Xavien Howard also on the roster – a player similar in appearance to Jalen and technically on the same level -, Miami forms a pair of high-quality cornerbacks to play in a division that has the powerful air attack of the Buffalo Bills and that could see Aaron Rodgers landing at New York Jets. You can say without fear of making a mistake: the Dolphins are not playing around, they are thinking aloud.
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