Patriots Super Bowl champ recruits Jalen Ramsey to New England
New England has invested in top cornerbacks before
The New England Patriots owned one of the NFL’s top defenses last season, but one element still missing was the elite cornerback to shut down an entire side of the field.
Free-agent safety Devin McCourty has an idea on how the Patriots could fill that void this offseason. McCourty, who still isn’t set on returning or retiring, said as a guest on NFL Network’s “Good Morning Football” that New England should add cornerback Jalen Ramsey from the Los Angeles Rams.
"One thing I'll tell you right now: Jalen Ramsey does not want to go to Detroit," McCourty said. "Do you know the other landing spot? The New England Patriots. Why wouldn't he want to go to Title Town? Jalen Ramsey, you might not have heard of these things, but they're called duck boats. You know what a duck boat is.
"Jalen Ramsay will be in New England helping that team get back to where they belong: The Super Bowl and then he will be on a duck boat. And you know what that duck boat does after you win the Super Bowl? It goes around Boston, and it's called a parade. What you guys have watched over the last couple years are not really a parade in New England. Titletown. Parade Jalen Ramsey? You got it there."
While Jason McCourty said he couldn’t see the Patriots trading for Ramsey, head coach Bill Belichick has been willing to invest heavily in top-tier cornerbacks in the past, and New England has had its most success with an elite player in that position, whether it was Ty Law, Asante Samuel, Darrelle Revis, Malcolm Butler, Stephon Gilmore or JC Jackson. New England wasn’t willing to lock down its homegrown talent, Samuel, Butler or Jackson, to top-end deals, but the Patriots did sign Revis and Gilmore to expensive free-agent deals.
Ramsey reportedly is likely to be traded, per NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero. He’s due a $17 million salary this season, and New England has the cap space to accomodate an addition.
The Patriots’ defense was already among the best in the NFL last season, however, so that money could be better spent upgrading their offense. New England also would likely need to deal away valuable draft capital to acquire Ramsey.
Featured image via Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
