Rams trade draft picks to Jaguars for AllPro cornerback
The Los Angeles Rams acquired Jalen Ramsey from the Jaguars on Tuesday, ending the star cornerback’s tumultuous tenure in Jacksonville with a trade to the defending NFC champions.
Jacksonville got firstround picks from the Rams in 2020 and 2021, along with a fourthround pick in 2021.
Ramsey is an elite defensive back, earning two Pro Bowl selections and one firstteam AllPro nod in three seasons with the Jaguars. The fifth overall pick in the 2016 draft has nine career interceptions along with innumerable conflicts with coaches, the front office and Jacksonville opponents.
One month after he requested a trade, Ramsey is off to the West Coast to join Aaron Donald on the Rams’ defense.
Ramsey had missed the Jaguars’ past three games with an apparent back injury, but he returned to practice last week. He’ll probably need to play immediately with the Rams (33), who are without both of their usual starting cornerbacks as they head to Atlanta.
The defending NFC champions traded cornerback Marcus Peters to Baltimore earlier in the day, getting linebacker Kenny Young for the twotime Pro Bowl selection who will be a free agent next year. Los Angeles put cornerback Aqib Talib on injured reserve Monday after he missed last weekend’s loss to the 49ers with a rib injury.
Rams add lineman: Austin Corbett moved around on Cleveland’s offensive line. His next stop is Los Angeles. The Browns traded Corbett, who failed to live up to high expectations after being selected with the No. 33 overall pick in the 2018 draft, to the Rams for a fifthround draft pick in 2021.
The 6foot3, 306pounder played in 11 games as a rookie, making one start. Corbett appeared in three games this season.
Concussion watch: The NFL says the number of concussions in exhibition games this year rose to 49 from 34 in 2018, an increase of 44% and a setback in efforts to reduce brain trauma.
“We have more work to do,” said Dr. Allen Sills, the league’s chief medical officer, at the owners’ meetings in Fort Lauderdale, Fla.
Concussions in preseason practices fell to 30 from 45 in 2018, perhaps a reflection of the NFL’s decision this year to eliminate drills that involve especially violent oneonone contact. The total of 79 preseason concussions in practice and games was the same a year ago.
Officials erred: The NFL admitted officials erred in flagging Lions defensive end Trey Flowers on one of the two handstotheface penalties he was called for in the fourth quarter of Monday night’s 2322 loss to the Green Bay Packers.
NFL executive vice president of football operations Troy Vincent told reporters at the owners’ meetings that there should not have been an infraction called on the second of Flowers’ two penalties.
“When you review the play, that’s not something that you want to be called. After you review it, the foul wasn’t there,” Vincent said.
Briefly: A source tells the Associated Press that the Tennessee Titans will start Ryan Tannehill at quarterback instead of Marcus Mariota on Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers . ... The Patriots signed tight ends Ben Watson and Eric Tomlinson and released quarterback Cody Kessler. Watson rejoins the team less than a week after being released. Tomlinson joins the Patriots after stints with the Eagles, Texans, Jets and Giants. ... Saints defensive back P.J. Williams has been suspended two games for a violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy.