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Another elite NFL team had their first loss of the season in Week 5, as Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs lost to the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday Night Football.
While the Colts are the only team in the NFL to actually beat the Chiefs so far this season, part of the reason why they were able to dethrone one of the kings of the NFL was because they used a similar game-plan to the one the Detroit Lions used in Week 4, when they held Mahomes to no touchdowns and almost pulled off the upset themselves.
What's even more important about that solid performance by the Lions secondary is they were able to deter Mahomes without the help of their two-time Pro Bowl cornerback. Darius Slay suffered a hamstring injury in Week 3, did not play in Week 4, and his status for Week 6 is still unclear.
Despite Slay's absence, Detroit was able to make more than a few nice plays thanks to the quality performances of Justin Coleman and Rashaan Melvin, who according to advanced statistics, have surprisingly been one of the best cornerback duos in the NFL.
The #Lions CBs have combined for 11 Forced Incompletions (T-3rd) and a completion % allowed of 52.8% (3rd)
That’s with a well-rounded effort throughout the young season
4 by Melvin Weeks 1-2
4 by Coleman in Weeks 4-5#OnePride https://t.co/MLstQ09qe3— PFF DET Lions (@PFF_Lions) October 4, 2019
When Slay comes back, this Detroit secondary unit will be one of the best in the league. With the wear and tear that each NFL team goes through, Detroit can never have too many corners just in case more injuries like Slay happen.
Adding another two-time Pro Bowler could make a secondary that is already decent elite, as Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey has made it clear that he wants to get out of Jacksonville.
While the Jaguars have come out and said that they are not giving up Ramsey anytime soon, everything in the NFL is negotiable with the right offer, and the Lions can offer a pretty nice one.
Detroit is one of the lucky teams that still have all of their top-50 draft picks over the next two years, as well as many young players that could help develop on a Jaguars team that could be due for a rebuild soon.
Ramsey would be an ideal cog in Detroit's defense, as his aggressive, man-to-man coverage is exactly the kind of coverage that head coach Matt Patricia has his corners play. NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks went more in-depth about this a few weeks back.
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On the surface, the Lions and Ramsey wouldn't appear to be a match made in heaven, based on Matt Patricia's gruff persona, but the defensive task master's scheme (man coverage) would enable No. 20 to lock up pass catchers in his preferred style. Ramsey would team up with Pro Bowl corner Darius Slay to give the Lions the best 1-2 CB punch in the game, striking fear in the hearts of offensive coordinators in the NFC North.
Adding Ramsey would automatically give the Lions another elite defender, as while No. 20 has been dealing with injuries and paternity leave this season, he is more than capable of posting three-plus interceptions, a pass defended a game, and 60+ tackles, while being able to shadow some of the fastest pass catchers in the league.
While Lions fans are encouraged by the 2-1-1 start, they are still amongst the middle of the league and are a few moves away from being a part of the NFL's top teams.
A move for Ramsey could make this defense elite and elevate an already talented team. There is no first-round corner that the Lions could draft that is better than Ramsey right now, so if the Lions want to contend, they want to act fast.
After the trade, the Lions could roll out a theoretical secondary of Ramsey, Slay, Coleman, Melvin, pro bowl safety Quandre Diggs, and improving young safeties in Tracy Walker and Will Harris.
That unit rivals the star power and young depth of the Seattle Seahawks' Legion of Boom, which helped Seattle win their first Super Bowl in franchise history in 2014.
While the Lions likely won't be winning a Super Bowl anytime soon, adding Ramsey makes their young defense elite, makes them a playoff contender in the NFC, and strikes fear into NFC North offensive coordinators.
