As the Possibility of Ramsey Fades Away, Another Opportunity Enters
After all of the excitement that was built up over the possibility of Jalen Ramsey dawning midnight green, Jaguars owner, Shahid Khan squashed any hope of a Jalen Ramsey trade on Wednesday.
In an article by Associated Press, Khan explicitly stated that the team had no interest in trading the star cornerback at the moment. It’s a tough pill to swallow for the Eagles, as the secondary is brutally beaten up, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t more options aside from Ramsey.
As you may recall, Dolphins players started contacting their agents after the beating they took in week 1 against the Ravens, seemingly knowing that the coaching staff didn’t care about winning this season. Even though no players were revealed by name, just a little over a week later, defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick was traded to the Steelers for a haul of draft picks, including a first-round selection.
The Eagles were rumored to have been heavily involved in trade talks for Fitzpatrick, although, clearly he is not in Philadelphia. Still, the Miami secondary has more to offer.
Xavien Howard
Photo: The Palm Beach Post
The 26-year-old Xavien Howard has been a tremendous corner in the league, who has matured as a player every season. Starting every game he’s played in since 2017, Howard has totaled 11 interceptions (1 pick-six), 26 passes defended, and 99 tackles (78 solos, 21 assisted). He truly broke out in 2018, when he co-led the league in interceptions (7) and was selected to his first career pro-bowl. With his impressive year, the Dolphins extended Howard through 2025 with an average salary of 15 million per year. In the same time frame, Jalen Ramsey has combined for 7 interceptions, 31 passes defended, and 145 tackles (127 solo, 18 assisted). No, Xavien Howard is not as good as Jalen Ramsey, but their stats certainly mimic each other, and Howard is not far off from Ramsey’s skill set.
Possible Trade Scenario
Although Howard is a franchise cornerstone, no player is ever untouchable for a team willing to tank. If Howie Roseman was as aggressive about prying Ramsey away from the Jaguars as he was reported to be, then he certainly won’t hesitate to do any less for Howard. As for the asking price for Howard, it would presumably be less than Ramsey’s, on the basis of Howard not being quite as skilled as Ramsey. Still, if the Dolphins were to entertain any kind of offer, it would undoubtedly have to contain a first-round pick and a mid-round pick.
As a reference, the Steelers received Fitzpatrick, a 2020 4th round pick, and 2021 7th round pick, for 2020 1st and 5th round pick and a 2021 6th round pick. The Ravens were reported to have offered a 1st and 2nd round pick along with tight end Hayden Hurst for Jalen Ramsey, but it was turned down (via Gene Frenette).
A mystery team had even offered two first-round picks to the Jaguars for Ramsey but were turned down because the picks were going to be late in the order (via Jason LaCanfora).
Even though Howard’s value is not exactly equivalent to either Ramsey or Fitzpatrick, an offer for him will have to be along the lines of offers made for both of those players.
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