When the Los Angeles Rams acquired Jalen Ramsey from the Jacksonville Jaguars, the hope was that he would be able to transform their defense to turn around what was a disappointing season to that point.
So far, that has been the case as the Rams are 5-2 since the acquisition and outside of one poor outing against Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens, their defense has been one of the best in the league.
Ramsey isn’t putting up eye-opening stats, recording 28 total tackles, two passes defensed and a forced fumble, failing to record an interception in his seven games with the team.
A big reason for that is teams aren’t throwing Ramsey’s way though. He takes the challenge every week by guarding the opposing team’s No. 1 wide receiver one-on-one, and because of that, the rest of the defense has an advantage with the ability to double-team pass catchers and put pressure on the quarterback.
While Ramsey wishes more teams would throw his way, he is becoming familiar with his role in the Rams’ defense and wants to continue to play at a high level, via Gary Klein of the L.A. Times:
“I’m not going to sit here and lie,” he said. “I feel like if I can make a lot of plays, I can impact the game and I can help this team win as many games as possible. So of course I want those opportunities.
“But I understand my role fully, and if I’m able to go out there and play dominant in my role, that’s really what helps the team win games. And as long as I can do that and help the team win as many games as possible, I’m going to be happy.”
The Rams gave up two first-round picks to trade for Ramsey, so it is good to see that the acquisition is finally paying dividends.
L.A. may need to win its final three games to get into the postseason though, and Ramsey will have to continue playing at a high level if that is going to be the case, particularly this weekend when the Rams travel to take on Amari Cooper and the Dallas Cowboys.
