In the middle of his first mini-camp, Minnesota Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah sat down with USA Today’s Jori Epstein for an interview. Adofo-Mensah opened up a vein, producing some comments about Kirk Cousins that would get him in trouble. However, he also gave an interesting look at the strategy that the Los Angeles Rams used to win a Super Bowl.
“If it were a seven-game series, yeah, best team wins,” Adofo-Mensah told Epstein. “That’s ultimately why you’re team-building. You never want to go full Rams because you need to give yourself three chances at it, four years at it. I know that’s hard for fans to hear.”
“Full Rams” means mortgaging the future to go all-in on the present. The Rams did this successfully, using multiple first-round picks to build a powerhouse roster and winning the Super Bowl in 2021. However, it’s extremely risky as it gives said team one shot to win a championship.
The evidence can be seen during the 2022 season when the Rams went 5-12. Suddenly “F*** them picks!” turned into “F***! Them Picks!” as their players have gotten older. As a result, the Detroit Lions now own the sixth-overall pick in this year’s draft because of the Matthew Stafford trade.
Perhaps it’s sent the Rams front office into a state of panic as just under 10 months after Adofo-Mensah made those comments, the Rams are reportedly interested in trading Jalen Ramsey. His potential availability would be a dream for a Vikings defense that hemorraged deep plays a year ago. However, it will also test their front office’s willingness to go full Rams.
Let’s start with the obvious. Ramsey would be a perfect fit for the Vikings. At age 28, Ramsey ranked 10th in Pro Football Focus’s coverage grades among qualifying corners and has ranked in the top 10 in each of the past three seasons. He also carries 0.83 yards per coverage snap in the slot, which provides the versatility that Brian Flores seeks in his cornerbacks.
A potential drawback is that Ramsey doesn’t have a lot of experience in man coverage. Ramsey ranked 135th out of 136 qualifiers by playing 11.6% of his snaps in man last season and allowed a 149.1 passer rating in those snaps. Unless the Vikings want to play more of a zone defense like Ed Donatell deployed last season, this would be a concern even before they discuss a potential deal.
That’s where things get interesting for the Vikings. The idea of adding Ramsey is probably something they’re interested in, but they may not be willing to give up what it takes to bring him to Minnesota.
The Rams traded the Jacksonville Jaguars two first-round picks and a fourth-round pick when they acquired Ramsey in 2019, and there’s not a comparable deal that has been made since that trade. Ramsey’s value has only strengthened during that time. Therefore, LA could ask for even more draft capital than they gave up – especially considering they haven’t made a first-round pick since 2016.
Like many moves this offseason, Adofo-Mensah needs to have an honest conversation about where the Vikings are at. Minnesota looks good on paper after winning 13 games last year, but are they really one elite shutdown cornerback away from the Super Bowl? Not when you consider what needs to be done this offseason.
- Adding Ramsey would be the biggest immediate move the Vikings could make to their cornerback room. Still, they need at least two more cornerbacks to fix their defense.
- The defensive line could also use some help – especially if Za’Darius Smith listing his house for sale is more than just a coincidence.
- If the Vikings release Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks, they’ll need to find at least one starting linebacker.
- The offensive line is always a work in progress.
- The Vikings could need a No. 2 receiver if Adam Thielen is cut or traded and a starting running back if they do the same with Dalvin Cook.
- Minnesota also should start thinking about finding a succession plan for Kirk Cousins.
With the Vikings currently $24 million over the salary cap, it’s hard to imagine they could effectively fill all of these needs in free agency. If they make a “silver bullet” trade for Ramsey, they would also deprive themselves of draft picks that could help fill these needs and create the three-year window that Adofo-Mensah described in his interview last May.
It’s a situation that’s different from a team like the Lions. They could package the sixth-overall pick from the Rams in a deal to acquire Ramsey and sign him to a new long-term deal using their $22 million in salary cap space. Detroit’s cap number could also grow after the Lions make their roster cuts.
Perhaps the Vikings believe they are currently in the window to compete. But even if 2022 was a springboard for the franchise, it’s hard to imagine they can fill all of their needs, compete with an aging Cousins, and still be able to keep some of their young cornerstones like Christian Darrisaw and Justin Jefferson.
Ramsey would be a great addition to the Vikings, but this is not the time for the Vikings to go “Full Rams.”
