Football is a weird thing sometimes. Despite a 3-3 record, including losses to their divisional rivals San Francisco and Seattle that all-but remove the division title from their reach, the Los Angeles Rams went all-in with a trade for All-Pro cornerback Jalen Ramsey.
The trade, which included two first-round picks heading to Jacksonville, adds an immediate infusion of elite talent to a team that is already well-stocked, on paper at least.
While the real life Rams are struggling, on Madden 20 they are one of the best teams around thanks to the depth of star talent they have, but does Jalen Ramsey push them over the top to be the best team on the game?
What Jalen Ramsey adds
SHUTDOWN: Ramsey brings elite coverage skills to the Rams
Ramsey may not have played since the 19th of September, but he has retained his 96 OVR launch rating and status as the #1 cornerback in Madden 20.
Before the Rams added Ramsey they traded away cornerback Marcus Peters, their #3 corner in Madden 20. So let's start our investigation by looking at the difference between the two.
Peters' 90 speed, 83 man coverage, and 76 zone coverage is pretty good, but it's nothing compared to Ramsey. He comes in with 92 speed, 97 man cover and 96 zone cover. Combined with his 98 press Ramsey is clearly the best cornerback on Madden and comfortably better than Peters.
Ramsey will be able to stick like glue to opposition receivers, even elite ones like Julio Jones. His 92 play recognition means he won't be fooled by play action either, and his 72 tackling is easily the best among Rams cornerbacks.
What you lose with Ramsey
Madden 20, rather frustratingly, is yet to move draft picks from team to team. The Houston Texans and Pittsburgh Steelers still have their first-round picks, as well as the players they traded for from the Dolphins.
Which means in Madden 20 you get all the benefit of adding Jalen Ramsey without suffering the biggest cost in Franchise Mode. However, you do lose something without Marcus Peters around: Interceptions.
Ramsey's catching (72) is not up to the same standard of Peters' (81). That means you'll see more drops and missed turnover chances from your star cornerback. But is that really a problem if you are forcing more punts?
Are the Rams the best team now?
SUPERSTAR: The Rams are now 1 of 5 teams with 3+ X-Factors
Not quite, but they are close.
The addition of Ramsey puts yet another X-Factor Superstar on a Rams roster that already has the top defensive end (Aaron Donald) and half back (Todd Gurley) and yet another 90+ OVR player.
He is a massive upgrade for the Rams secondary, but