The Atlanta Falcons need plenty of help to improve from a 8-9 record last season but they haven’t had the resources to obtain it. The Falcons have just $9.7 million in cap space and five selections entering this weekend’s draft.
With Kirk Cousins still on the books, Atlanta has resorted to luck to find the pieces they need to take a step forward and they may have found their jackpot when a player with a connection to Raheem Morris hit the trade market.
But while this player could fill a big need for Atlanta, it appears that they’ve run into some bad news on the eve of the draft. It makes a reunion with one of his other former teams a more likely scenario and leaves the Falcons pulling the lever again.
Rams Have Upper Hand in Jalen Ramsey Sweepstakes
According to The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue, the Los Angeles Rams have considered trading for cornerback Jalen Ramsey. The CB and his current team, the Miami Dolphins, mutually agreed to seek out a trade on Apr. 15 and a deal to Los Angeles would return him to the place where he spent over three seasons while also winning a Super Bowl ring.
“[Rams general manager] Les Snead and [head coach] Sean McVay have not ruled out the possibility of a reunion with Jalen Ramsey,” Rodrigue posted on X. “But both added, lots of ‘layers’ to get through first with the draft and reconvening with pro personnel and they expect Ramsey to have interest from other teams too.”
Snead and McVay have not ruled out the possibility of a reunion with Jalen Ramsey, the two indicated today. But, both added, lots of “layers” to get through first with the draft and reconvening with pro personnel and they expect Ramsey to have interest from other teams too.
— Jourdan Rodrigue (@JourdanRodrigue) April 22, 2025
Ramsey has been one of the league’s top corners since coming to the league in 2016 and arguably had his best seasons after a 2019 trade from the Jacksonville Jaguars to the Los Angeles Rams. The 30-year-old made two All-Pro teams and four Pro Bowls during his time with the Rams before he was traded to the Dolphins following the 2022 season.
While Ramsey has connections to the Rams, he also has a previous relationship with Morris, who was the defensive coordinator during Ramsey’s final two seasons in Los Angeles.
With Ramsey’s previous endorsement of Morris when he was hired as the Falcons’ head coach last spring, many hoped that he would arrive in Atlanta to boost a cornerback room that currently has A.J. Terrell and Mike Hughes listed as starting outside cornerbacks.
But like the Rams, Ramsey’s situation comes with hurdles. His $24.2 million guaranteed salary is virtually impossible to fit in the Falcons cap situation and he’s likely to want a re-worked deal as he has no guaranteed cash over the final three years of a three-year, $72.3 million extension signed last offseason.
Atlanta has also seen what a trade for an aging veteran can do to their long-term plans. The Falcons traded a third-round pick to the New England Patriots last offseason for Matthew Judon but he failed to make an impact with just 5.5 sacks last season.
Ramsey isn’t coming off a major injury, however, and it would make sense for the Falcons to pursue a trade. But with limited resources, they may not have the ammunition to make a trade happen, leaving the Falcons to cross their fingers entering the draft.