Jalen Ramsey on DeAndre Hopkins trade: First, I felt bad for Deshaun Watson

[Rampage]

Getty Images

When Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey heard that wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins had been traded from the Texans to the Cardinals, his immediate thought was not about covering Hopkins twice a year.

Instead, Ramsey told the Los Angeles Times, his first response was that he “felt bad” for Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, who was losing his best wide receiver. Ramsey and Watson are friends who have the same agent, and Ramsey knew from his time with the Jaguars, playing against the Texans twice a year, what a great rapport Watson and Hopkins had.

But soon Ramsey turned his attention to preparing to cover Hopkins twice a year again.

“And I was just, mentally I had to get my mind right again, you know what I mean?” Ramsey said. “Those battles are always fun, to be honest with you, whether I felt like I won or lost the matchup.”

Although Rams coach Sean McVay says Ramsey won’t just follow Hopkins around the field, the two of them will match up a lot, just as they did when they were in the same division in those Jaguars-Texans games. Ramsey says Hopkins is “one of the best, if not the best in the league.”