Thoughts on the Jalen Ramsey/Jonnu Smith for Minkah Fitzpatrick trade…
Dolphins side:
- The Ramsey partnership was over, so a trade was inevitable. The team loses its best defensive player, but adding Fitzpatrick fills a huge need at safety and he’s under contract at a manageable number for two more seasons. Miami couldn’t find middle ground on a new deal with Jonnu Smith, but the cash and cap savings for this year help out a team in a crunch. The team is paper thin at TE now
Steelers side:
- Ramsey played excellent once again last year and adds to an already loaded defense, provided the team gets a TJ Watt deal done. It felt like Fitzpatrick’s value internally had dropped but he’s still a very talented player, so that helps balance the money (factoring in Ramsey and Smith deals) and keep the draft asset cost extremely low. Whether Pittsburgh says it or not, it is acting like a team that is pushing its chips in for a short term window. I’m not a believer that this team is in the same tier as the AFC’s elite (Chiefs, Ravens, Bills), but the asset outlay across the board has been reasonable. We’ll see if they can make the push