Opinion: Cardinals Should Trade for Jalen Ramsey

Let’s get right to the point — should the Arizona Cardinals give the Miami Dolphins a call and gauge the trade value of Jalen Ramsey?

Scenarios like that typically get one of two reactions:

The first reaction is fans rolling your eyes and having some kind of response along the lines of, “We don’t need to trade for every big name! Why are people so greedy?“

The second reaction is fans get overexcited about the possibility of adding a Hall of Fame talent. The thought of adding a player of Ramsey‘s caliber can be incredibly enticing.

Ramsey truly is the kind of defender that alters your defense. Even now in his 30's, Ramsey remains one of the best corners in the league and can erase half of the field. A lot of teams, especially title contenders, should be calling Miami to at least see what the asking price is.

Perhaps the Cardinals could or maybe even should be one of those teams.

Arizona doesn’t have a large or pressing need at the cornerback position. Rookie Will Johnson has the potential and eventual expectations to be the team’s ace corner. Garrett Williams is one of the best nickel corners in the league.

Others like Max Melton, Starling Thomas, and potentially Elijah Jones round out the room for a well-balanced and especially useful cornerback position.

The room did get slightly worse, however. The lone established veteran, Sean Murphy-Bunting is out for the season and leaves the team without a cornerback without substantial time in the league played.

That isn’t inherently a bad thing or a need, but it did have some value.

Ramsey provides you that as he heads into his 10th pro season. There’s been slight signs of slowing down, but like I said, he still remains one of the best corners in football.

I also would consider part of his decline to be attributed to the secondaries he had spent time with the last few seasons.

Ramsey was the only legitimate threat in South Beach the last two seasons and the Rams secondary took a step back following their Super Bowl win.

There would be less than zero issue with that in the desert.

The Cardinals host an insanely talented cornerback group and the safeties behind them make them that much deadlier. With a refined pass rush up front, the Cardinals should host a much improved defense. And Ramey would put them over the top.

Two things may cause a holdback for fans — his price tags in terms of draft capital and contract dollars.

Let me first put your mind at ease when it comes to the compensation. When the Dolphins made their trade for Ramsey, it only cost them a third round pick and a back up tight end. At the time, he was 28-years-old. Ramsey will be 31 in October with the slightly declining play will be as cheap if not cheaper.

The other important factor to consider is the literal price tag of his contract. Ramsey just signed a fat extension for three years worth over $72 million. That’s quite the dollar amount for any player, let alone one in their 30's.

That contract makes him more difficult to trade, as some franchisees simply cannot afford the cap hit. The Cardinals are not one of those teams.

The Cardinals have plenty of salary cap to take in that contract and still have plenty left over. Of course, it’s still not cheap so it’s just a matter of if they want to.

If Arizona was truly interested in Ramsey, they could easily make him fit on their defense. There’s an immediate role available for him as the team’s number one corner and would allow younger guys like Johnson to ease their way into larger roles.

It also solves the potential need for veteran presence in the room — provided that’s still something the team feels they need.

And of course, pairing Ramsey with Johnson and Budda Baker at safety gives the secondary a nastiness and big-time attitude. The personality is those three bring could energize the defense and get under the skin of opposing offenses.

The toughest sell for me is that contract. In one sense, Ramsey is already extended for the next three years, which means Arizona won’t have to stress over financials when it comes to him for a while.

But on the flip side, Ramsey is being paid what he is being paid, and that doesn’t leave much wiggle room for negotiations. And if the Cardinals would prefer to allocate that money elsewhere, then it makes sense to stay away.

I find there to be several benefits and drawbacks to making a move for Ramsey. He won’t cost much compensation and upgrades your defense, however, it’s a rich contract for a player now in their 30s who has shown some signs of decline.

If it were up to me, the decision would come down to whether I’m willing to commit to that contract number. If the answer is yes, then I make a call and pitch an offer or two. But if not, then you can roll with what you have and not beat yourself up over it.

I wouldn’t call this win either way considering the risks, and I don’t expect the Cardinals to make the move, but there are clear and present perks to making the move.

A Cardinals team that is all in on contending for the playoffs should seriously mull over the thought of adding Ramsey.