The Los Angeles Rams entered the 2025 NFL Draft with a playoff-ready roster and a focus on adding depth. They traded out of the first round and addressed multiple positions—but curiously, they made no additions at cornerback, arguably their most pressing need.
The Rams re-signed Ahkello Witherspoon in free agency and still have Darious Williams under contract for two more seasons, though his deal carries no guaranteed money beyond this year. Cobie Durant and Derion Kendrick are entering the final years of their rookie deals. There’s also Emmanuel Forbes Jr., the 2023 first-round pick claimed off waivers from Washington late last season. While Forbes logged significant snaps in the regular-season finale, he didn’t appear in either of the Rams’ playoff games.
With the draft in the rearview mirror, Los Angeles may now revisit a bold option: bringing back All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
Ramsey, a cornerstone of the Rams’ Super Bowl LVI championship team, was traded to Miami in March 2023 as part of a salary cap restructuring. The Dolphins sent a third-round pick and tight end Hunter Long to L.A. in return. Miami later gave Ramsey a three-year extension, making him the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history at the time.
Now, just a year later, the Dolphins may be looking to move on. In April, Miami GM Chris Grier acknowledged trade discussions involving Ramsey, saying it would “give us the best chance to help us win not only just this year, but in the future as well.”
Before the draft, Rams GM Les Snead confirmed conversations with the Dolphins about a potential reunion, with both sides agreeing to revisit the possibility post-draft. Rams head coach Sean McVay struck an optimistic tone about the idea, while also acknowledging the complexity of such a move.
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“There are a lot of layers that would need to be worked out with a player of his magnitude and some of the different things that accompany that,” McVay said. “But you would never eliminate the possibility of adding a total stud and a guy that can do a lot of different things. He’s a great player. We know him very well. We know him intimately.”
Financially, the move may now be feasible. The Rams have roughly $17.7 million in cap space, per Over the Cap. Ramsey carries a $16.67 million cap hit in 2025—the final year of his deal with guaranteed money. Miami could eat a portion of the salary in a trade, or Ramsey could agree to restructure if a return to Los Angeles is on the table.
Now 30, Ramsey started all 17 games for the Dolphins last season. He posted two interceptions, eight pass breakups, and six tackles for loss, while allowing three touchdowns as the nearest defender, per NFL Next Gen Stats.
Could Jalen Ramsey Return to the Los Angeles Rams? Familiar Face Might Solve Lingering Secondary Need
Though no longer at his peak, Ramsey still has the tools to make a meaningful impact. As Matt Bowen noted in his recent ESPN feature on best team fits for remaining free agents and trade candidates: “Miami general manager Chris Grier said the team is looking at offers for Ramsey, who is no longer a blue-chip defender at age 30.“
“The Rams could use his skill set, as his jolt of speed and ball production would upgrade their secondary. They’d also have to give up a lot less this time around to acquire him. Ramsey can still pattern match vertically downfield, and he still has high-end backfield vision in zone coverage. He would also give Los Angeles more flexibility in sub packages because he can create disruptive plays as a nickel corner.”
The Rams’ pass defense improved as last season progressed, especially after their 1-4 start, but still finished 25th in DVOA. A player like Ramsey, even in the later stage of his career, could help elevate a defense that’s currently built more on cohesion than elite talent.
“There’s a lot of familiarity,” McVay said Saturday. “He and I have really stayed in touch. I know it’s the same thing with [assistant head coach] Aubrey [Pleasant] and some of our other coaches.”
For now, no deal is imminent, but with the draft concluded, a stable salary cap, and clear roster needs, a potential reunion between the Rams and Jalen Ramsey remains one of the more compelling possibilities of the offseason.