Sean McVay: Jalen Ramsey knows the respect and admiration I have for him as a player

For four seasons, Jalen Ramsey was a critical part of the Rams’ defense, helping the club defeat the Bengals in Super Bowl LVI.

But after the 2022 season, Los Angeles traded him to Miami. On Monday night, Ramsey will be back at SoFi Stadium facing his old team as the Dolphins take on the Rams.

While Ramsey’s a couple of years older, Rams head coach Sean McVay said in his Thursday news conference that he’s seeing the same guy he’s familiar with on tape.

“Physical player, position flex-versatility, and he has that edge,” McVay said. “He's one of those guys that's so disruptive. He can make plays as a blitzer and if he gets his hands on the ball, demonstrated by last week, he's usually going to catch it.

“Great player. You see a lot of the same things that made him such a fun guy to watch do his thing here. Hopefully, that won't be the case on Monday night.”

The Rams sent Ramsey to Miami in the 2023 offseason after finishing 5-12 in 2022, as part of a roster reset. But that didn’t change how McVay feels about the defensive back, who was a critical piece in the Los Angeles’ championship run.

“I love Jalen. We have a cool relationship and he knows the respect and the admiration that I have for him as a player and what he meant to this team,” McVay said. “There were a lot of tough decisions that were on the horizon for us as a football team and it didn't have anything to do with us not wanting him here. There were a lot of things that we had to do as a result of some previous years and things of that nature. He understood that.

“It was important for us based on what he had done for us to try to be able to find a situation that suited both parties. Miami was somebody that was interested. … I think Jalen was excited about that while also appreciative of a lot of great memories that we were able to have together.”

Ramsey was a two-time, first-team All-Pro with the Rams and was selected to three Pro Bowls. In 57 games, he recorded 10 interceptions, 47 passes defensed, four forced fumbles, 15 tackles for loss, and 2.0 sacks.