Three Observations After Rams Missed Out on Jalen Ramsey

Here's three observations after the Rams failed to make a sufficient offer to the Miami Dolphins.

1. Sean McVay isn't living in the past

If this were pre-Super Bowl LVI Sean McVay, Ramsey would have been a Ram four weeks ago. The old McVay, the run and gun, the man willing to put everything on the line, including leveraging tomorrow's future for today's talent, that man is dead.

McVay got his ring and the fallout almost made him leave football. McVay is different, so is Les Snead and we're seeing that with the front office. Smart, calculated moves. A newfound appreciation for draft picks. Financial security.

McVay knows he got lucky in the "f them picks" era and he knows he can't win another Super Bowl with that method.

2. The Rams must believe in their safeties

In order to execute this trade, the Steelers had to say goodbye to Minkah Fitzpatrick. The Dolphins likely required another defensive back as they're desperate for talent in the secondary. This is after they expressed interest in signing Jaire Alexander.

The Rams have four safeties on paper that could've been traded. While Quentin Lake and Kamren Kinchens are considered safeties, both are untouchable as Lake is a defensive captain/ signal-caller that plays nickelback, and Kinchens is too good and too cheap to deal.

That leaves either Kam Curl or Jaylen McCollough. It's clear the Rams had no intention of letting either man go which only plays into their belief in their defensive backs.

3. This will define Les Snead's and Sean McVay's next contract extension

It's more than fair to say that the weak spot on the Rams' roster is their defensive back room. Now that doesn't mean the defensive backs are bad, but considering their performances in 2024 and that outside the quarterback position, the defensive backs were the only position group not addressed by the Rams in the offseason, their success or failure will reflect on Les Snead and Sean McVay.

Both men enter a contract year after this season and they won't work unless their future is secured. While it's doubtful a bad year by the secondary will cost them in contract negotiations, if the defensive back room becomes elite, that will likely increase the salary of McVay and Snead to near record-settling levels if not beyond.