LOS ANGELES — The Los Angeles Rams acquired star cornerback Jalen Ramsey from the Jacksonville Jaguars on Tuesday night in exchange for two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder.
Jacksonville gets first-round picks from the Rams in 2020 and 2021, and a fourth-round pick in 2021.
Ramsey is one of the NFL’s elite defensive backs, earning two Pro Bowl selections in three seasons with Jaguars. The fifth overall pick in the 2016 draft has nine career interceptions, but his tumultuous tenure is Jacksonville is over one month after he requested a trade.
The Jags made the move five days after owner Shad Khan said he had a "heart to heart" with Ramsey and expected him to play against New Orleans last weekend. Ramsey didn’t, prompting Khan’s decision to move on from the disgruntled defender.
Ramsey has missed the Jaguars’ last three games with an apparent back injury, but he returned to practice last week. He’ll need to play immediately with the Rams (3-3), who are without both of their usual starting cornerbacks as they head to Atlanta this weekend.
The defending NFC champions traded cornerback Marcus Peters to Baltimore earlier in the day, getting depth linebacker Kenny Young for a two-time Pro Bowl selection who will be a free agent next year. Los Angeles also put cornerback Aqib Talib on injured reserve Monday after he missed last weekend’s loss to San Francisco with a rib injury.
Ramsey will join two prominent ex-Jaguars in Los Angeles, all three of whom were top-5 draft picks by Jacksonville.
Pass rusher Dante Fowler re-signed with the Rams after he was traded from Jacksonville at last season’s deadline, while quarterback Blake Bortles is Jared Goff’s backup after five years with the Jags.
Ramsey’s relationship with the Jaguars frayed in recent months. He had a public spat on the sideline with coach Doug Marrone in Week 2 at Houston, and he clashed with personnel chief Tom Coughlin after the game.
The Rams are on their first three-game losing streak of coach Sean McVay’s tenure, although their sputtering offence likely deserves more blame than the defence.
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